WAYNE MARDLE believes that Thursday's clash with Raymond van Barneveld in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts could be pivotal to his play-off challenge.
Mardle grabbed his first win of the season last week, defeating Terry Jenkins in Sheffield with an 8-5 triumph.
Following two earlier draws, Mardle now sits just three points behind fourth-placed Jenkins at the half-way stage of the Premier League, keeping himself in the hunt for a play-off berth in May.
He takes on Raymond van Barneveld at the Brighton Centre on Thursday, and admits a victory over the Dutchman would be another huge boost.
"Before the game with Terry, people wouldn't think to ask me about the play-offs but that shows how the Premier League can change," said Mardle.
"If I beat Raymond then it will make people take notice and I'll have a great chance of qualifying.
"I'm pretty happy, because I didn't played well against Terry and won but have played better and lost.
"It's my first win in seven games, I've drawn a couple, but I'm only three points off the play-off places.
"If I have a couple more wins in the next seven games and a couple of draws, who's to say I won't qualify."
Mardle found himself 4-2 at the break in his game with Jenkins, but took six of the final seven legs to claim his first win of the year - and only his fourth ever in three Premier League campaigns.
"I'm a bit volatile, and the first half against Terry was maybe the worst I've played so far, but I came back out thinking I'm not going to play like that again," he added.
"When I get a bee in my bonnet I do play well, I don't play badly every week and I dug in against Terry.
"I'd had enough of getting beaten in the Premier League and it worked - I started putting my doubles away!"
Watch Wayne Mardle's win over Terry Jenkins in DartsTV
Click here for a preview and tips from Rod Harrington for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts in Brighton
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Eight - Brighton Centre
Terry Jenkins v Adrian Lewis
Wayne Mardle v Raymond van Barneveld
John Part v Peter Manley
James Wade v Phil Taylor
Live on Sky Sports 3 from 7.30pm
Follow the action live in DartsTV, with Live Audio Commentary for subscribers and a Free Live Scoreboard, along with Highlights available from Friday evening
Click here to purchase the official 2008 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts programme