DANISH racer Nicolai Klindt came back to haunt former club Wolverhampton with a sublime 17 points as Poole triumphed 51-39 at Wimborne Road in SGB Premiership.

Klindt completed a full-time switch from Monmore Green in May 2017 as Matt Ford put his faith in a man who appeared destined for the top in his younger days, but had lost his way following a catalogue of injury blows.

He has certainly found a new direction in Pirates colours and delivered big time on a night they needed a hero following a disastrous start.

Pirates lost number one Jack Holder just two turns into the meeting when the Sydneysider drifted wide in his bid to round Wolves pair Sam Masters and Kyle Howarth.

He caught the air fence and was thrown over the handlebars. After a brief breather on the shale, he was forced to withdraw from the meeting. This left Pirates to operate injury rider replacement, meaning all of his team mates could take one of his rides.

And they covered for his absence with aplomb as Poole stepped up their play-off challenge with a comfortable win over a likely title rival.

Masters and Howarth opened proceedings with a Wolves maximum, but Nico Covatti hit back with a win for Poole in a shared race two.

Pirates then levelled matters thanks to an emphatic 5-1 from Klindt and skipper Josh Grajczonek in heat three.

But Wolves instantly restored their four-point cushion with a maximum from Rory Schlein and Luke Becker in heat four, with Brady Kurtz third for Poole and Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen pulling up at the back.

Masters won a shared heat five for Wolves, but Kurtz blasted to a vital Poole victory in race six.

The hosts could not quite level the scores as Schlein rounded Richie Worrall on the run to the line to restrict them to a 4-2.

Pirates finally took the lead for the first time on the night with an impressive 5-1 from Covatti and Kurtz over Jacob Thorssell and Nick Morris in heat seven to go 22-20 up.

Worrall hit the front in race eight, only for the action to be halted when Becker slipped off on lap two, bend one.

The American was excluded and Worrall was unable to repeat the trick as Howarth triumphed, with the Pirate marooned in third as his machine slowed. He nursed it around for a point behind Jakobsen in second.

Poole went six up in heat nine thanks to a Klindt and Grajczonek 5-1 ahead of Schlein. Ashley Morris locked up and suffered a frightening fall at the back on the penultimate turn. He mercifully walked back to the pits unaided.

Worrall and Grajczonek worked wonders to see off tactical substitute Masters in heat 10, sending the Poole fans wild with a 5-1 as Pirates went 10 points up.

Wolves closed the gap to 37-29 as Masters won heat 11, with Kurtz claiming second place ahead of Howarth.

Klindt bagged his third win of the night in race 12 with Becker and Thorssell battling hard to relegate Jakobsen to the back.

The visitors’ resistance was all in vain, though, as Klindt and Kurtz joined forces for a 5-1 in heat 13 that guaranteed victory for Pirates.

Wolves stars Becker and Nick Morris closed the gap to eight with a 5-1 over Covatti and Grajczonek in race 14.

But Klindt and Grajczonek signed off in style with a maximum in the nominated race as Poole denied Wolves a consolation point.

PIRATES 51: 1 Jack Holder (X) 0, 2 Richie Worrall (1-1-1*-3) 6+1, 3 Nicolai Klindt (3-2-3-3-3-3) 17, 4 Josh Grajczonek (2*-1*-2*-2*-0-2*) 9+5, 5 Brady Kurtz (1-3-2*-2-2*) 10+2, 6 Nico Covatti (3-3-0-1) 7, 7 Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen (0-R-2-0) 2. Team Manager: Neil Middleditch.

WOLVERHAMPTON 39: 1 Sam Masters (3-3-1-3-1-1) 12, 2 Kyle Howarth (2*-0-3-1-0) 6+1, 3 Jacob Thorssell (1-1-0-1*) 3+1, 4 Nick Morris (R-R-2*) 2+1, 5 Rory Schlein (3-2-1-0) 6, 6 Ashley Morris (1*-0-F) 1+1, 7 Luke Becker (2-2*-X-2-3) 9+1. Team Manager: Peter Adams.