MICK McGOWAN has targeted a place in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship as a perfect end to the best year of his career.
McGowan has won the Ireland Open Classic in 2006, and also qualified for the Budweiser UK Open and Las Vegas Desert Classic.
He reached a second final in as many weeks at Saturday's PDPA Players Championship in Lisse, Holland, before losing out to Colin Lloyd.
McGowan included a win over Phil Taylor in the event, and admits that he is now looking to win a place at the Circus Tavern to continue his rise to fame.
"It's the place to be," said McGowan. "That's where the best players in the world are, so it's failure if you don't make it.
"I've had a great three months and I'm looking to push on now.
"This circuit is so tough, it can turn on a knife-edge and go either way and at the moment it's going really well for me.
"There are so many good players out there but hopefully I can push through and win more tournaments.
"I've had two finals in two weeks but I'm not winning tournaments, so I must win more.
"I probably haven't broken through yet. After beating Phil I probably expected to push on and win it but Colin showed his true grit and was absolutely fantastic in the final."
McGowan's narrow victory over Taylor - who had won the previous three Players Championships he has competed in - was another milestone in the 33-year-old's career.
"I've never played Phil before in competition and I went up there to try and test myself and see how I could compete," he said.
"As the game went on I was saying to myself that I was hanging in and that I had a chance.
"It was fabulous to win it, in the last leg too."
McGowan has experienced lows along with the highs this year, missing out on qualification for the SkyBet World Grand Prix in the All-Ireland Qualifiers a week after winning the Ireland Open Classic with a 7-0 defeat of Kevin Painter.
"It brings you back down to earth," he admitted. "The week before the qualifiers I won the Ireland Open Classic and was on a high, and the next week I got my butt kicked!
"I looked then and knew I had to buckle down and I've got to make the World Championship."
McGowan will be among the field of PDPA members battling for 16 places in the World Championship at Villa Park on 2 December, and he received support from his conqueror on Saturday, Colin Lloyd.
"He certainly deserves a place in the World Championship," said Lloyd.
"He has been the best player in the last three, four, five months in Ireland. He's absolutely brilliant and I think he has proven that.
"He is trying his utmost and going to all the tournaments, and maybe he's not getting enough results to warrant a place guaranteed, but I think he can cause some upsets
"He's a great player, a lovely fella and I think he is a true genuine dart player who will give his all and he did exactly that in the final.
"Thankfully for me it wasn't enough and I got the result!"