THE spirit of 2007 does live on in this Buildbase Bees team as they conjured a miraculous result against all expectations to overcome Poole in the Craven Shield semi-finals.
Many thought the Pirates had the tie in the bag after their 24-point win at Wimborne Road on Wednesday, and that a containment job would be all that was required - but when the pressure was on, the Buildbase Bees delivered and proved that in speedway there is no such thing as a foregone conclusion.
True, the Bees had some breaks go their way on the night, with a major engine blow-up causing Chris Holder to pull out of the race lead in Heat 7, and then a massive turning point being Bjarne Pedersen's crash (when on a tactical ride) and subsequent withdrawal in Heat 11.
But it should also be considered that the Bees were without their top home man so far this season, Olly Allen, and had youngster Ben Barker covering for Andreas Messing - Barker scored one point, deserved ten for effort, and how vital that one point proved to be.
Poole, meanwhile, were also without two riders, but neither Karol Zabik nor Zibi Suchecki had troubled the scorers at Brandon a fortnight ago, and they will find it hard to believe they let this position slip.
Especially as the Bees didn't get off to the greatest of starts, with the scores still level on the night after Heat 5. Chris Harris and Stan Burza both gated fast in Heat 1, and Pedersen took a lap or so to clear Burza for second place by which time Harris had cleared off - but the Pirates responded with their own 4-2 in Heat 2 when, after Bees had gated on a 5-1, Barker went too wide and hit the fence on turn 2, and Skornicki took full advantage to beat Burza in the re-run.
Poole went ahead on the night with Holder taking a hugely impressive win by a distance in Heat 3 and Freddie Eriksson moving inside Rory Schlein midway through the race, and Heat 4 was shared with Simon Stead making it around Skornicki off turn two and Barker holding third for a couple of laps before Davey Watt's extra power took him around the outside.
Bees were level in Heat 5, though, thanks to a stirring ride from Janniro who caught Pedersen napping going into the second lap with a surprise attack down the inside, Schlein's third place making it 15-15 on the night.
Bees attacked again in Heat 6 with Stead taking the rider replacement outing, and it proved to be a wise move as he made the start from gate three and Harris, despite being squeezed out on the first bend, found his favourite outside line working well as he produced a thrilling burst around the outside to take him past both Craig Watson and Watt in one move.
The momentum looked set to be checked at that point, though, because Holder was absolutely tearing away with Heat 7 as he had done in Heat 3, with Eriksson holding third place 4-2 - but all that changed on lap three when Holder's engine blew and the race result reversed, with Stead inheriting the win. And it was the same outcome in Heat 8 too, with Janniro rounding the field in expert style off the second bend and Barker holding on for a thoroughly deserved point ahead of Skornicki after Eriksson had jumped him on the back straight.
Heat 9 saw Schlein, who had been quiet to that stage, suddenly come up with a remarkable surge of power on the first two bends to take him flying around his opponents and well clear, and with Janniro backing him up in second place Bees were beginning to sense the faintest of hopes - although the odds were still stacked against them.
Harris then surpassed his previous effort by making it around Holder on turns three and four in Heat 10, with Burza once again showing his ability to score useful points as he held Eriksson at bay to make it 37-23 - with the Pirates' tactical ride in Heat 11 clearly the crucial moment in the meeting.
And the tie looked set to be done and dusted when Skornicki made a flyer from the outside and was joined at the front by the double-points Pedersen. The only job that had to be done was for the two to switch positions, but things changed drastically when Pedersen somehow clipped Skornicki's rear mudguard on turn two, damaging his wrist and sending him crashing into the fence.
It was a relief to see him walk away after treatment, but he would be unable to ride again in the meeting - and Stead took advantage of his second chance to win the re-run and bring Bees to within eight points overall.
Holder, though, appeared to be calming the Poole nerves in Heat 12 with a win over Schlein, and Watson's third place over Barker meant Bees needed an unlikely three 5-1s to win, or two 5-1s and a 4-2 to force a replay.
The first 5-1 was accomplished in Heat 13 thanks to Harris and Stead, and there were no real dramas, but Heat 14 was always likely to be a tougher affair with the Pirates electing to start Eriksson and Skornicki from the gate rather than gamble on a 15-metre tactical substitution.
Burza chose that moment to make the start of his life, and as he came across from the inside, Janniro had to ride one of the strongest, cleverest first two turns of his career to maintain control and protect his position. This he achieved, and suddenly the impossible was beginning to look almost possible.
Discussions took place concerning the Heat 15 line-up for the Bees, and despite his paid maximum Stead was in agreement that Janniro should get the nod along with Harris - and Bees clearly needed to watch out for Holder most of all, with Poole winning the toss and taking gates two and four.
In the event, it went remarkably smoothly with Holder making a poor start at crunch time, the Bees pulled clear and set sail for the most famous of victories - it was countdown time as the laps ticked by, and when they crossed the finishing line the atmosphere was reminiscent of the glory run of 2007.
There is a long way to go until the current team can think about emulating that this year, but they have turned Wednesday's massive low into a tumultuous high - and that has to go a long way to bringing back the belief at Brandon.
