Beaton ahead of record breaking World Championship: "I just view it as another year"

Steve Beaton will head into this year's PDC World Darts Championship into a record breaking 30th foray at the showpiece event.

He shares the record currently with 29 each alongside Phil Taylor but will now take the record.

Speaking to the Weekly Dartscast before the tournament, he admitted he just sees it as any other year despite initially wanting to take the record.

"I'd grown up around Phil, I know he did 29, I was hoping to beat his record but now I just view it as another year, hopefully do well. I've got a Last 16 last year so I'm hoping to maybe improve on that," said Beaton to Weekly Dartscast.

Like alluded to he reached the Last 16 last year losing to Darius Labanauskas who went on to face Michael van Gerwen and he hopes to kick on at the right time at the Alexandra Palace.

"I wish I played a bit better against Darius but I've never had very good runs in the PDC World's. I think it's just because it's the tournament that everyone wants to win so you maybe put too much pressure on yourself to perform. This year hasn't been that brilliant for me so maybe I might play a bit better in this one."

Form hasn't been the best since the return for Beaton and he puts that down to the ProTour going over five days.

"We did have a couple of groups of ProTours stuck together, which I found very difficult. I always find a Friday, Saturday, Sunday is long enough on the ProTour weekends if you have to qualify on the Friday. Even exhibitions I probably wouldn't do more than three on the trot so I find the long week is a bit of a struggle."