Nathan Aspinall admits the return of fans played a part in his 8-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen on Night 13 of the Unibet Premier League on Monday in Milton Keynes.
An accomplished display in front of hundreds of fans at the Marshall Arena saw Aspinall return to the top of the Premier League as he looks to book a place in Friday's Play-Offs for the second consecutive year.
As fans returned for first time since December, Aspinall enjoyed a perfect night at the office, and the 29-year-old believes it was no coincidence.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time and I loved every minute of it," said Aspinall.
"To beat Michael, who I believe is one of the top three players to ever pick up a dart, in the way I did makes it a fantastic night for me.
"Of the eight players left in the tournament we are the ones who 'give it' most on stage and I was certainly ready for a 'shouting-fest' but it just didn't pan out like that.
"I think Michael felt it a bit with the crowd, and it wasn't the real Nathan either, but as MvG would say 'I took out the right shots at the right times.'
"I dug deep, and the crowd were fantastic tonight; they gave me an extra 5%.
"It gets me pumped up and fuelled, I celebrate like I do to get the fans on my side and get them cheering for me in the next leg."
The result saw Aspinall end a run of two defeats, which came at the hands of Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jonny Clayton at the start of the month.
After coming runner-up in last year's Premier League, Aspinall suffered a slump in form which saw him named as one of the outsiders for this year's title, but the two-time TV title winner has enjoyed a return to his best of late.
"I did feel a bit of pressure coming into last night," Aspinall admitted. "I've been practicing with Gary Anderson and he's been absolutely destroying me!
"I put too much pressure on myself in the last block [of three nights], I was thinking about getting three wins and taking the pressure off myself for the last block.
"I've had a week away with family and come back refreshed and I just want to keep enjoying it."
Aspinall will return to the stage on Tuesday for a meeting with James Wade, who needs a result to keep his Play-Off hopes alive.
