Smith: "I'm no longer whipping boy"

MICHAEL SMITH vowed he is no longer the “whipping boy” or in Gary Anderson’s shadow.

The double finalist reached his second successive World Championship semi-final after beating Stephen Bunting 5-3 at the Ally Pally yesterday.

Smith, 32, came into the sport after Anderson took him under his wing along with Scottish promoter Tommy Gilmour MBE.

 

He now faces Gabriel Clemens in the last four tonight and said: “I’ve already made two finals and I’m in the semi-final again and I’m only 32. 

“There’s so much stuff I’ve still got to do, so many things I’ve got to tick off my list. 

“I’ll never give up. I could have given up in January when I lost to Peter and I could have won that game. 

“You saw on stage that I started balling my eyes out like a child. I dug deep, carried on fighting. 

“In my mind I’m no one’s protege, I owe no one anything. I don’t ask for help off anyone.

“I’ve never needed a sports psychologist. Everything had to be me. Getting that first major I worked so hard for. Now I want to be World Champion and World No.1.

“I don’t want to be a whipping boy. I remember when I first joined the PDC it took me until 2017 until I made my first semi-final. It annoyed me because I knew what I had inside. Now it’s finally starting to come through now.

“Michael Smith is now a different character, different person and I’ve shown what I am capable of. 

“I can easily put 20 points on that but you’ve got to win games when you play bad. I’ve done that twice now against Martin Schindler and Bunting. 

“I’m proud of myself because I know when I’ve got to dig deep.”

Smith took Bunting apart in the early stages but ended up just doing enough to stop a fierce fightback. 

He added: “I just turned up so bad today. Even though I played so poor I managed to get the win.

“Don’t get me wrong, Stephen missed a lot of doubles then. But it’s the quarter-finals of the Worlds. 

“I won 5-3 and every set I won, it was an extra 10 grand every time. That’s what I was trying to tell myself. Just keep going. You are going for the World Championship, that’s what I want. 

“I put too much pressure of myself, it nearly cost everything. 

“I don’t think I could play that bad again. Bunting let me off. I actually feel sorry for him. 

“I didn’t deserve that game. Never once did I deserve it. You take your chances when they are given to you. Now I’m in the semis again."

Words: Phil Lanning.

Images: Taylor Lanning.