"He's not one of the best players that's ever thrown for nothing, so I'm going up against my hero": Jonny Clayton tries to emulate Gary Anderson ahead of dream clash
PDCMonday, 20 July 2026 at 08:35
Jonny Clayton was clearly delighted after his impressive victory over Damon Heta at the World Matchplay. The Welshman played a match full of high finishes, had the crowd at the Winter Gardens on their feet on several occasions, and felt once again like the player who, a few years ago, was winning one major title after another. Yet Clayton remained true to himself: down-to-earth, relaxed and with a broad smile on his face.
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He spoke to the media including DartsNews.com afterwards about facing Heta and producing a statement with brilliant combination finishes and his usual high level of play.
"I loved every second of it, you know. I always knew it was going to be a good game. I got ahead, I was just waiting for Damon to come back and I knew he was going to come back into that game, you know, he's too good not to," said Clayton to the media including DartsNews.com.
"So, you know, it felt good. He gave me a few chances, I think, was it a 152? Yeah, you know, that obviously hurts, doesn't it? And then to win the match, obviously when Damon missed to win the match, brilliant. So, yeah, I've got a smile, a massive smile on my face."
He produced a lot of the so-called Jonny Clayton specials in the form of big combination finishes. "It's great, do you know what I mean? That's what hurts the other player.
"Taking a 132 out, doesn't matter, you know, when you've just missed and somebody takes a big shot, that hurts. That's in your head and as a player you're thinking when you get a chance, you have to take it.
"You know, I think it was two out of three I took tonight, but I feel good. Give me a chance, I might upset you. But total respect to Damon. He's a brilliant guy, great dart player and, you know, we're good friends. So it was tough to play him there tonight."
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The Year of the Ferret a few years back saw Clayton hoover up majors and was in near unbeatable form. He is getting there again, but the Welshman doesn't have the majors to back it up...yet. He was quizzed about how close he is.
"I hope so, obviously. You know, I don't go out there to lose. I give a million percent every time."
"Sometimes they go well, sometimes they don't. You have to be realistic. Everybody can play darts in this game. It's probably one of the best line-ups that's ever been in Blackpool, so it's going to be tough."
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"I feel good and when you feel good, the darts go like, doesn't it. I don't want to pressure myself. I'm out to win every trophy that goes, every major, every game, everything. But I'm realistic and that doesn't happen.
"You have to lose to win, if that makes any sense. I think you will lose a lot more than what you win, and that's from Phil Taylor down to the guy that's playing his first game.
"It's just reality. I'm quite realistic. If I don't perform, I'm going home. So hopefully I can show the guys what I can do."
Jonny Clayton produces again.
He also hopes that he can force himself to be picked for the Premier League again next year after his brilliant run this time around and that a major would help with that. "Things have gone right for me in the Premier League. I've shown that I'm a good participant in there. So hopefully I can get back into it. But don't worry about that. I've got a few tournaments to win first and maybe start on this one and just build the rest of the season."
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In reality he'd be top four if he had a good week which would see him already in the automatic spots. "Oh, I'd love that, I'd love that. I think I was world number three for 28 seconds before Michael came back into it, and then Gian decided to show off and I went back to world number five.
"So hopefully I'm going to stay at world number four for a while anyway and maybe go up the rankings after Christmas. Who knows."
Facing Anderson next
But while he cares about certain facets, he adds that he tries to be like Gary Anderson in that he is in his early 50's so is trying to be a lot more carefree about life in general.
"I'm 52 years old this year. I don't need to worry about anybody. I just go up there, I'm going to enjoy it.
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"Like I say, Gary Anderson's one of my heroes, so I like watching what he does. Try and pick a few tips from Michael van Gerwen, you know, he's in my camp.
Clayton faces one of his heroes next.
"But it is, it's like just going to do my job and then they've got a hard task to beat me. If I can do it, hopefully this week, I might have some silverware."
Asked further about Anderson, he heaped praise on one of his darting heroes. "Generally, you know, that's what Gary Anderson does. He plays great darts.
"He's not one of the best players that's ever thrown for nothing. So I'm going up against my hero, one of the best players, and I think it'll be a good game. It'll be total respect from each other and whoever wins, wins. Hopefully it's me."
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But it is from a close friend in Damon Heta to a hero in Anderson and he spoke about what it is like to play a good friend. "If you get along on the floor tour, you know, it means that you get along with good people.
"It's just, I think, the pressure of who gets off quicker, who throws the first 180, who wins the first leg. I think it's more the pressure of trying to perform rather than anything else.
"It's not like, I don't want to win because he's my friend. It's like, I want to get the first 180, I want to get the first big finish, I want to get the first leg.
"I think that's the pressure, nothing else. So it can be one where everything goes well, or it could be the other side and everything's like, "Oh, what a rubbish game." Who knows."
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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