SIMON WHITLOCK is looking to kick-start his challenge to reach the McCoy's Premier League Darts Play-Offs when he faces Robert Thornton in Sheffield on Thursday.
The Australian ace was the runner-up in last year's Premier League Darts but found himself in the battle to avoid elimination from the tournament a week ago on Judgement Night.
Defeats for Wes Newton and Gary Anderson in Brighton meant that Whitlock survived - but he finds himself in eighth place in the table and five points adrift of fourth-placed Thornton going into their clash at the Motorpoint Arena.
With seven games remaining, Whitlock is looking to see off the in-form Scot - avenging his loss to Thornton in Glasgow recently when the UK Open champion averaged 107.65 - and give his Play-Off bid a boost.
"It's a massive game for me because Robert is currently fourth and it's a chance to bring the points gap between us down to three points," Whitlock told his official website.
"Robert has been one of the stars of the Premier League so far and has produced some brilliant performances.
"It's going to be another tough one but I know I’m capable of getting the right result if I perform to my potential.
"There has been a lot of pressure on the last few weeks for all the players because nobody wanted to be the first to be relegated. Now that's out the way and thankfully I survived, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the Premier League.
"There's a lot of work to do to make the top four but everyone left in has still got an excellent chance of reaching the Play-Offs.
"I can relax a bit now and hopefully I can get a few quick wins and put myself right back in contention."
A small number of tickets for Thursday's McCoy's Premier League Darts at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield remain available for sale, either by calling 0114 256 5656 or by visiting www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk.
The McCoy's Premier League Darts will be screened live on Sky Sports 2HD from 7pm on Thursday, with coverage also live on RTL7 in the Netherlands, Sport1 in Germany, OSN across the Middle East and through Fox Sports in Australia, as well as on LIVEPDC.TV for International Pass subscribers.
McCoy's Premier League Darts
Week Ten
April 11 - Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield
Robert Thornton v Simon Whitlock
Adrian Lewis v James Wade
Michael van Gerwen v Phil Taylor
Andy Hamilton v Raymond van Barneveld
James Wade v Michael van Gerwen