The PDC World Championship starts on Friday December 13, with live and exclusive coverage on Sky Sports Darts through to the final on Wednesday January 1
Friday 29 November 2019 10:39, UK
Glen Durrant has enjoyed a dream 11 months since claiming his third Lakeside title in succession in January, but he has not finished yet.
Off the back of semi-final appearances at the World Matchplay, Grand Prix and Grand Slam, Durrant is aiming to break his final-four hoodoo at PDC majors at the biggest one of the lot.
Indeed, he could be on the verge of darting history - becoming the first player to simultaneously hold the PDC and BDO World Championship titles.
"There's a tiny voice in the back of my mind of John McDonald shouting, 'And the unified champion of the world'," a smiling Durrant said.
"But it's a tiny voice."
Right now, it is a dream. Six games against the world's elite stand between him and the Sid Waddell trophy, and Durrant, who will not play his opening match until Saturday December 21, is heading to Alexandra Palace as a rookie in the tournament.
"I've never been in Ally Pally," he added. "I'd love to acclimatise. I'd love to go and watch a game. I don't even know where it is!"
However, when the 49-year-old eventually arrives at the darting cathedral, his reputation will precede him. Those three semi-final appearances at majors have underlined his credentials, dispelling doubts that he would not be able to mix it with the best in the PDC.
Such suggestions certainly irked him.
"Coming over as this three-time [BDO world champion], a lot of scrutiny has been on me this year," he said. "I've been quite bullish I think. I've done really well. Whatever targets I've set, I think I've exceeded them.
"People would write to me on social media saying, 'you're nothing more than a pub player. You wouldn't last with Van Gerwen, Anderson'. So to come here and win a couple of titles, some semi-finals in the majors, and then to go on and win the biggest prize of them all, I'd be the best player in the world for one day only.
"That puts [down] a lot of the doubters who were saying, 'he's nothing more than a pub player', because I read every single one of them."
People would write to me on social media saying, 'you're nothing more than a pub player. You wouldn't last with Van Gerwen, Anderson'.
Having said all of that, he knows he can draw on his Lakeside experience.
"Like the old BDO days, I'll be putting double the practice in than what I'd normally put in," he said. "A couple of sessions in the morning, then a session in the night on the dart board. I really need to work on my doubles. But I'm super excited.
"One thing about me is I'll always come in shape, mentally. I'll be at my best come Ally Pally. I'm good at that. And that's really what I want to do now.
"I'll be replicating the majority of that [BDO preparation]. I just understand the challenge is a lot bigger. It's huge."
Regardless of what happens over the coming weeks, it will go down as a remarkable maiden season for Middlesbrough-born 'Duzza' in the PDC. But he is not resting on his laurels:
"It's been a marvellous year, but I want that cherry on the cake, and I want to have a really good Ally Pally," he said.
"Three semi-finals are great, but I'm a winner. I'm already dissecting and looking at where I could have done better [in the semi-final defeats].
"I'm ready for that next step."
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts.
The action is back on your Sky Sports screens in December with the World Championship from Alexandra Palace. It all gets underway on Friday, December 13.
