By Adam Summers  - Dorset Echo

Terry Day is under no illusions about the enormity of tonight’s task when the Wildcats will attempt to stop the Bournemouth Buccaneers from clawing back a 16-point first-leg deficit in the Knockout Cup. Weymouth hammered the Buccaneers 56-40 at the Wessex Bus Raceway on June 19 but they face a very different proposition in Poole this evening where they were on the wrong end of a 56-36 drubbing earlier in the season.

Day said: “Everyone, including myself, had an up and down meeting in Poole that night. It is such a difficult place to go and a combination of unlucky rides and a few disappointing refereeing decisions saw us suffer a heavy defeat. You need power at Poole and if we can ensure that our set ups are right and we make our starts then we should be a lot more competitive but it will be a tough task despite going their with a 16-point lead.

“At Weymouth a couple of weeks ago we really stamped our authority on them and showed them that we are not going to let them run away with the league or the cup. We are still very much in both competitions and have a great chance of repeating last year’s success but it is a tougher league this year and Bournemouth will no doubt be looking to make a point of their own this evening.

“What we have to make sure we do is go there and do the business. We need to forget the team we are racing against and just concentrate on picking up points. If we can all ride to our average then we will progress to the next round and that has got to be the aim.”

Day lives with Bournemouth ace Jay Herne, who rode for the Wildcats last year. When asked whether there has been any banter between the two this week, Day added: “There has and there hasn’t. We just joke amongst ourselves really, especially when we race against each other, but there is no doubt that we both want to do all we can for our respective teams. Jay has been unstoppable in the National League so far this year and if it had not been for his 17 points in the first leg we would have smashed them and had no problems about going through. Somehow we are going to have to try and get the edge over him tonight and I am sure it is going to prove a very intriguing meeting.”