Michael Smith looks to keep winning mentality up at Grand Slam of Darts: "I don't want to go into a Last 16 losing a game and trying to pick myself back up"

Michael Smith is through to the Last 16 after getting the legs he needed and the victory over Ritchie Edhouse who as he pointed out he will play in Minehead again next week but for now it's about keeping the winning mentality up at the Grand Slam of Darts.

"As you seen in the group there, the first couple of legs I was a bit nervy but once I knew I got my legs to tie with Joe (Cullen) and I was guaranteed, I kind of settled down and it was just about laying a marker down to Ritchie as I play him again next week in the Players Championship Finals," said Smith post match.

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As a result, he always laid the path for good friend, Joe Cullen to move through but it wasn't about helping him by his own admission.

"He said he owed me something on the way out but it wasn't beer. I wasn't bothered about Joe, I was bothered about keeping my win streak going. I don't want to go into a Last 16 losing a game and trying to pick myself back up. If you win it, I want to win every game I play and that's just the mentality I've got."

As well as speaking about how despite being an elder statesman as such now, he has only matured in the last few years.

"I'm getting old, I'm 32. You got the likes of Josh Rock coming through who is 21, 22 so I've got ten years on him, that's the worst thing. It's my 14th season in the PDC. The last three, four, five years I've had to grow up on stage and I think I've done it quite well."

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