Aspinall separated himself from Cullen and put friendship aside during win: "I didn't want to get involved in the emotional side"

Sealing a 10-2 win over Joe Cullen, Nathan Aspinall moves to through to the Quarter-Finals of the UK Open where now Michael van Gerwen awaits and he admitted post match that his friendship with Cullen meant that he had to separate himself from 'The Rockstar' during the breaks in particular to not be dragged in.

"The biggest question in darts is what do players do when they walk off stage. We have a small room and I basically just didn't go in the same room as Joe, I'm going to go outside, get a bit of fresh air as it's warm on that stage," said Aspinall to Online Darts.

"Even though I'm really good pals with Joe, I'm only here for my family. Big prize money, big prestige and I just wanted to keep myself away from Joe, I didn't want to get involved in the emotional side as I love him to bits."

A previous winner of this tournament, he also said that it is all about pacing himself with a long day ahead.

"Tomorrow (Sunday) is a new day, it's a long day. If you're tired because of tonight, you have got no chance tomorrow. The latest you're going to be on is half 10, you're still getting 10 hours kip aren't you let's be honest."