PREVIEW: BIRMINGHAM v POOLE (Cab Direct Champ)

FORMER Birmingham skipper Danny King will guest against another of his old clubs when Poole visit Perry Barr tonight (Wednesday).

King led the Brummies to the Elite League Grand Final in 2013, when ironically they lost out to the Pirates, and now comes in for the suspended Nick Morris.

The Pirates start the meeting third in the Cab Direct Championship standings with only one defeat in six matches so far.

Birmingham manager Stewart Dickson said: “Poole may be the current Champions and they may be one of the strongest teams in the league, but they’re certainly not unbeatable.

“That was proven at Oxford just a few weeks ago when they were beaten fairly convincingly and while we’re under no illusions about the challenge we’ll face, we have to approach it with a positive mindset.

“It’s a test we’re all relishing at Birmingham and after everything that happened last week, if we could go out there and get a result against Poole, I think that would mean the world to everyone at the club.”

Poole boss Neil Middleditch said: “They have not been dealt a great hand as far as luck has been concerned, but they have worked very hard to keep the sport going. I genuinely wish them all the best but not until after we have visited on Wednesday of course. 

“But all joking aside, it is a track where individually many of our boys have gone well in the past and so we will certainly be targeting the league points and a major step towards the aggregate point when we meet them down here the following week.”

BIRMINGHAM: Danny King, Stefan Nielsen, Troy Batchelor, Paul Starke, Justin Sedgmen, Sam Hagon, Alfie Bowtell.
POOLE: Richard Lawson, Anders Rowe, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Steve Worrall, Kyle Newman, Adam Roynon.

*LIVE STREAMING: https://www.brummies.tv/