"I don't see why people pay money to spoil a match" – Jonny Clayton hits out at whistling darts fans

Jonny Clayton booked his place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 European Darts Championship in Dortmund on Saturday evening, defeating Josh Rock 10-8 in the second round. The Welshman admitted he could have made life considerably easier for himself, having missed opportunities to put the match beyond his opponent's reach.

Afterwards, Clayton spoke to DartsNews.com about his missed chances, the bizarre incident involving a disappearing dart and his upcoming clash with German crowd favourite Martin Schindler. He also had a strong message for spectators who deliberately disrupt matches by whistling.

Although Clayton eventually came out on top, he was not entirely satisfied with his performance, particularly his finishing on the doubles.

"Obviously I missed doubles, but to be fair to Josh, we're good mates. He's good banter, he's a good player," Clayton admitted. "But I missed chances myself. When I had chances, I should have taken them. That game could have been a little bit easier. But to be fair to Josh, he never goes away."

One of the strangest moments of the match came early on when one of Rock's darts somehow disappeared into the stage, leaving both players amused by the bizarre incident.

"Brilliant!" Clayton laughed. "I tell you one thing, I told him in the bathroom after the fifth leg. I said, 'If both of us had thrown six darts into that thing, we would not have hit it. And you deflect and lose a dart in the light. How would you do that?' Brilliant, brilliant!"

The search for the missing dart only added to the entertainment. "It was funny, do you know what I mean? When everybody's looking for the dart, lights in your face, there's nobody who's going to find that dart, is there? It was just funny. It was good banter."

Despite the light-hearted atmosphere, Clayton remained focused on his ambitions at the European Championship. With the title now within reach, the Welshman is determined not to look beyond his next opponent.

"Would I like to win the trophy? Of course I would. But you've got to beat the guy in front of you first," he explained. "I've got a few more games to get through before I can lift that trophy, so I'll be trying hard tomorrow."

Martin Schindler awaits in Sunday's quarter-finals after the German number one defeated Jermaine Wattimena 10-4 on Saturday. Schindler can expect considerable support from the Dortmund crowd, but Clayton has no concerns about facing the home favourite.

"I'm just going to do my job at the end of the day," he said. "I enjoy the fans. The fans are brilliant. They know when to chant and what to chant."

Clayton fully expects most of the support to be directed towards his opponent. "I know I'm playing against Martin, who's played fantastic today, to be fair. And I know the crowd is going to be behind Martin, but I expect that. I've played enough Premier Leagues where I'm in Holland and the crowd will be behind the Dutch, and England, obviously, most times the English are behind their players."

The Welshman believes his experience will help him handle whatever atmosphere awaits. "We've got the experience. I'm going to go on, try and concentrate on my game and who knows? Hopefully it's my day."

Although Clayton was full of praise for darts supporters in Germany and Belgium, he expressed frustration with spectators who deliberately attempt to distract players, particularly by whistling during throws.

"German crowds are brilliant. The Belgians are brilliant. They enjoy darts. They enjoy darts," he said. "Like I always say, I don't see why people pay money for tickets to try and spoil a match by whistling. I don't get that, but that's me."

Such behaviour, he believes, damages the experience for everyone in the venue. "Whoever wants to do that spoils it for everybody, not just for us, but for the crowd as well."

For Clayton, there is an important distinction between vocal support and deliberately disrupting a player's concentration. "The chanting and the support for whichever player, that's what makes us play better. Surely when you're paying money for tickets, that's what you need. Not the whistling to spoil it."

Even booing, he suggested, is less distracting than an unexpected whistle. "I suppose the booing is all the same kind of thing, just as long as everybody's doing the same thing. It's the same noise. But when somebody whistles, it's totally different. You don't expect it. That's what spoils it, do you know what I mean?"

Clayton also referenced an apparent disturbance during Luke Littler's second-round victory over Nathan Aspinall earlier in the evening, although he acknowledged that he was not certain exactly what had happened.

"I think I saw Nathan turn around when Luke Littler was throwing earlier on. Somebody whistled and Nathan turned around and said, 'Is there somebody there?' Something had happened there. I don't know if it was whistling. I don't know."

His appeal to spectators was simple. "Stop trying to spoil the game. You guys enjoy, that means we enjoy, and we're trying to give you what you pay for. That's my call on it."

Away from the crowd discussion, Clayton also reflected on his impressive form this season and the role his return to the Premier League has played in helping him compete consistently against the world's leading players.

"Once you're in it, you're playing against the best players, the elite. You play week in, week out against the elite," Clayton explained. "To me, there's no better practice. You're playing against the best players in the world and if that doesn't bring your game on, nothing does."

Despite that experience, Clayton admitted he spends remarkably little time practising away from competitive matches.

"I'm probably the worst practiser you'll ever meet in your life!" he laughed. "There's a dartboard in my house with my son's darts and that's the only time I throw a dart, is with my son's darts. I think, 'I'll give it a go. See what these are like.' Don't like them, leave them there and that's my practice!"

For the Welshman, his demanding tournament schedule provides more than enough opportunity to sharpen his game. "No, all jokes aside, we play so much. We practise against the best by playing, and that's enough for me."

Clayton's victory over Rock was sealed in fitting fashion, with a 121 checkout on the bullseye after the Northern Irishman had fought back from 9-6 to 9-8. The finish has long been one of Clayton's trademarks, although he admitted feeling considerable relief when the final dart found its target.

"When that bull went in, I was thinking, 'Thank God!' Because I tried twice before and I think I landed closer than what I'd thrown for the bull!" he joked. "It was a good 121 for Jonny. It is my speciality, so happy days!"

That trademark finish secured another appearance on European Championship finals day, with Clayton now preparing to face Schindler for a place in the semi-finals in front of the German's home supporters.