King's Lynn team boss Rob Lyon insists the Stars can pull off an Elite League play-off shock at Poole next week.

Lynn take a three point lead to Dorset for the semi-final, second leg after the Pirates hit back strongly in the closing stages of Monday's 48-45 Norfolk Arena tussle. Lynn were humbled 58-36 on their regular season visit to Wimborne Road – but Lyon warns the doubters not to write off his men.

'Different day, different night, completely different set of circumstances,' he said. 'It's a different time of the year and this is the play-offs now. The boys will be up for it. We have got nothing to lose. They want it badly because they have got this far. They are all so disappointed not to have pulled a bigger lead – but we have got a lead – so we have to try and go out with a positive attitude and get a result.

'We are going to go with an attitude that we want to win the meeting. It is a tall order but nothing is impossible. Poole's home record in the last six or seven weeks has not been great – they have lost to Belle Vue and Birmingham ran them close so its all to play for in lots of ways. Obviously they will be favourites – but then again they were even before the start of the tie anyway.'

Lyon admitted he wanted a double digit lead to defend against the Elite league table toppers after a superb debut top flight campaign culminated in a top four finish.

'We have to believe we can turn them over on their own pitch or at least get very, very close to them and nick it,' he said. 'That is the only way we can do. I think at the stage when we got 11 points up, you would be looking for maybe 15 points to take forward the way the meeting was panning out. Then (Kevin) Wolbert came alive and the Aussie boys did a lot of damage to us in heats 13 and 15. I guess ten plus was the aim beforehand and we got three.

'To get top four has been a great achievement. We had nothing to lose this season, we had nothing to lose before the first leg and we still haven't in lots of ways. We can go there with an open mind and try to nick it from them.'

Lynn's young guns Sam Masters and Lasse Bjerre produced fearless displays on home shale to help put the hosts in command before Chris Holder and Darcy Ward sparkled in the closing stages.

'Both Sam and Lasse really came to the party when it mattered and a special mention for the captain,' said Lyon. 'I thought it was a real captain's performance. It was touch and go whether I went with Olly (Allen) or Niels (Iversen) in heat 15. I went for Niels' experience at that level with those sort of guys and I think to be fair to him he gave it everything and you couldn't fault him for effort. It was one of those nights. You can't blame our riders in lots of ways – you just have to give credit to the Aussie boys who turned up and did a good job.'