"My girlfriend couldn’t make it today because of work, which was heartbreaking" - Charlie Manby overcomes family disappointment to set up fourth round clash against 'role model' Van Veen

Charlie Manby's dream run at the PDC World Darts Championship continues after a brilliant 4-2 win over Ricky Evans to confirm his spot in the fourth round on debut.

After falling behind twice, Manby twice in a row managed to drag his way level. After Evans missed set darts to go 3-1 ahead in sets, his level fell off a cliff as Manby raced to the finish line. He won the last five legs and seven of the final eight to confirm his spot in the next round.

"Yeah, it’s crazy. It’s mad. Everything’s just dropping into place for me at the minute and I can’t complain," he said in his press conference after his win.

Going into the match, the 20-year-old has already proved his capabilities of competing from different positions. He was engulfed in a titanic battle with Cameron Menzies as he just squeezed out on top before leading from the front against Sevada. Evans proved to be another tough task, but he showed his skill to comeback.

"I think it was good. In my first game I showed I can fight back from behind and grind wins out," he stated. "In the second game, I showed I can be a good front-runner as well and dominate. People think you’ve got loads of time when you’re 3–2 up or 2–0 up, but everything can change in seconds — especially in set play."

Manby is in the stunning position that he is now just one win away from clinching a tour card. He is capitalising off this event and the prize money offered. "Yeah, it would mean a lot. It’s the same tournament I started in, so it would be great," he commented. "But people don’t come here expecting a tour card on debut — they just want to do well, and I’ve already done that. Tour card or not, I feel like I’ve shown what I can do. I haven’t even hit second gear yet, and I think that’s the scary thing."

However, there is a caveat. To win his tour card he needs to get the better of the third favourite for the world title Gian van Veen. The European champion is looking very good in this tournament, and could be a step too far for Manby unless he improves his overall game. "It should be a good game. I’m good mates with Gian — we were practising together recently. I think it’ll be good pace and a good game overall."

Van Veen, similar to Manby this year, has had great experience on the Development Tour. He has even proved to be a bit of a role model for 'Champagne Charlie.' "Yeah, he can be. I think everyone’s a role model when you’re my age," he admitted. "You can’t look past Luke Littler and what he’s done for the game. But I want to push further. I don’t just want a tour card and to stay there — I want top 16, top 10, top eight. I want to keep pushing."

He expanded on his practice session with the Dutchman. "We played 121 together and I did that quite comfortably. Then we played 21 tonnes. I play better against better players, even in practice. We both had our A-games and it was a good session — and I think it helped us both."

Both Menzies and Evans have lost their head to some extent in their matchups against the youngster. While Evans did not lose his temper as much as the Scot, his level still dropped off a seismic amount which saw the final couple of sets see him average in the low 70s while portraying poor body language.

After 'Rapid' Evans missed the chance to go 3-1 up, Manby sensed the frustration starting to rise. "I think so. I always keep my head down when my opponent’s throwing," he said. "It was strange — I never thought it would happen like that, but it did. You’ve got to take full advantage."

He played down any chance that it was some sort of 'Charlie Manby effect.' "I’ve no idea. I just want to go up there and play my own game. If I do that, I’ve got a good chance against anyone."

Since his first foray onto the Ally Pally stage, he has had a lot more attention from fans and the media. While this has been new for him, he has got through it well. "I think it’s good. I’m not a big social media guy," he admitted. "Keegan Brown once told me to turn my phone off a week before playing — and if you keep winning, keep it off. I stick to that. Everything’s been positive anyway, so I just keep pushing on."

With this attention comes the need for the right advice and people in his camp, which he has got. "Quite a bit. I grew up around Peter Jacques in Huddersfield and he’s been here before. You pick up little things that people don’t see. They might work, they might not, but they stay in your head."

He had a lot of family support today and wherever he goes. While they were there to support him, he found it tough that his girlfriend was not able to make the trip down. "Massive. The stage can be a lonely place. My girlfriend couldn’t make it today because of work, which was heartbreaking, but my family being there meant a lot. My grandad came today — he’s 78 and struggled a bit with it, but that meant more to me than anything."

Not just family, but at work as well, with him enjoying being a bricklayer. "People at work support me massively. They’ve always said, if you want to go for it, go for it — but you’ve always got work if you need it," he stated.

Ahead of the match, Evans made a very glamorous entrance. He utilised pom poms which he franticly shook around on stage with the dancers. With Shakin Stevens not being blasted out anymore due to Christmas being past, the crowd enjoyed the new song almost as much as Evans did.

Manby also enjoyed it but was not prepared to follow in his footsteps. "Yeah, I enjoyed it. The crowd wants to have fun. Will you see that from me? Probably not. My walk-on and nickname work well — I’ll stick to that. You won’t see me grabbing pom-poms anytime soon," he concluded.