Peter Wright believes his home crowd in Glasgow can inspire his return to winning ways on Night Three of the Cazoo Premier League on Thursday.
Wright is still searching for his first points of the season following successive quarter-final defeats to Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall on the opening two nights in Belfast and Cardiff respectively.
The two-time World Champion will now take on Dimitri Van den Bergh in Glasgow, as he prepares to kick-start his title bid at the OVO Hydro on Thursday night.
“I’m looking forward to the roar when John McDonald announces my name. I will have goosebumps,” admitted Wright, a Premier League runner-up in 2017.
“Hopefully the crowd will inspire me to play magic darts, which I’ve done before when I played Adrian [Lewis] in Glasgow. If I can do that again, I’ll be happy!
“Dimi is a great dart player. It’s going to be a tough game and obviously I haven’t won yet, so it’s about getting that confidence back.”
Wright averaged 103 in his opening night defeat to Night One winner Dobey, and he converted finishes of 91, 133 and 156 in vain as he succumbed to an inspired Aspinall in Cardiff.
However, he will be desperate to open his account on home soil, particularly as the sole Scottish representative in the absence of Premier League veteran Gary Anderson.
“It’s going to be strange not having Gary there,” conceded Wright, who guided Scotland to World Cup of Darts glory alongside Anderson in 2019.
“The crowd are always behind Gary, but he’s working hard on his game and hopefully he’ll be back up those rankings and back in the Premier League next year, where he belongs.
“It’s a really special era for Scottish darts and hopefully this will inspire all the young boys and girls in Scotland to start playing the game.
“I’m proud to be Scottish and I’m proud to play for my country. I love representing Scotland. It’s always an honour.”
Wright is featuring in his tenth Premier League campaign, although the sport’s biggest roadshow hasn’t been the happiest hunting ground for the colourful Scot.
The world number two has only made the Play-Offs twice in nine appearances, squandering six darts for the title in an infamous 2017 final against Michael van Gerwen.
The 52-year-old endured a tumultuous 2022 season, undergoing gallstones surgery in August, before his wife Jo fell ill after suffering complications from the same surgery in November.
“It has been difficult to focus on my darts,” revealed Wright, who is choosing to prioritise premier televised events in 2023.
“That is why I’m taking a lot of time off this year. I’m going to be picking and choosing my tournaments so I’m ready and fresh for the big tournaments.
“I feel good. I’ve been trying out some different darts and I’m still experimenting as usual.
“I’ve got another 14 weeks to go in the Premier League, so that’s not a problem. I’m planning to win at least five nights, so it would be a great start to win in Glasgow.”
2023 Cazoo Premier League
Night Three - Thursday February 16
OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton v Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Aspinall/Van Gerwen v Wright/Van den Bergh
Price/Smith v Clayton/Dobey
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs