Simon Whitlock is confident his impressive performances will soon be rewarded by a return to winning ways as he prepares for another huge night of Premier League Darts action.
The popular Australian has been defeated in each of his last three outings in the elite event, but has taken solace from encouraging performances against Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld, which saw him record three dart averages of 102 and 96 respectively.
A trip to Nottingham and a meeting with Wes Newton is next on the agenda on Thursday evening, and ‘The Wizard’ is aware he needs to return to winning ways swiftly.
“Results-wise it’s been a tough few weeks but I’m still upbeat about my chances for the season as a whole,” said the 43 year-old world number five.
“In the games I’ve lost, my averages have been good and if I can maintain that the results will come. I hit six maximums against Raymond last week so my scoring is there.
“I can’t afford to let the gap between me and the top four get too big so I know how important the next few weeks are in terms of trying to qualify for the play-offs.”
Whitlock’s opponent at the Capital FM Arena, Premier League newcomer Newton, sits one place and one point above ‘the Wizard’ after four games.
“Wes is a fantastic player and I know I will have to be firing on all cylinders to get the right result,” added Whitlock.
“He has been very consistent over the last few years and deserves his place in the Premier League.
“Wes got his first win against Adrian Lewis last week which will have given him plenty of confidence, but I can go above him with a win so it’s a really important game for both of us.”
Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC
Copy courtesy of Leyland Paints