Clayton was a big outsider with bookmakers to win this 12 months’s event. He wasn’t even fancied to make finals evening.
Given his document, it was one thing that clearly rankled with the previous plasterer.
Talking on the Premier League media launch in early February, Clayton stated: “It motivates me alright as a result of folks do not fee me, clearly they fee the others extra. Let’s examine on finals evening.”
A 6-4 victory towards Luke Littler within the Rotterdam last final trip earned Clayton back-to-back evening wins for the primary time this season.
He now holds a 16-point buffer over defending champion Luke Humphries who’s fifth going into evening 12 in Liverpool on Thursday.
“He has sewn up a spot on the O2 in London,” Sky Sports activities pundit Wayne Mardle stated of Clayton after his triumph in Rotterdam.
“Jonny Clayton will likely be there, that’s sure. He’s up to now away from the remaining.”
Per week earlier, Clayton produced a outstanding comeback to win 6-5 towards seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen in Brighton having been 5-2 down within the last.
After his victory towards reigning world champion Littler in Rotterdam, Clayton revealed he re-watched his win towards van Gerwen from every week earlier.
“I do not watch many video games again, however I watched final week’s sport towards Michael and it damage just a little bit when anyone stated I used to be favorite to complete backside. That basically damage,” he stated.
“That basically irritated me to be trustworthy. It is going nicely for myself and I’ve obtained an enormous smile on my face.
“I have been right here 3 times earlier than and I’ve accomplished finals evening on every one.”
At 51 Clayton is comfortably the oldest participant on this 12 months’s area, though he’s persistently proving to be a thorn within the facet of the sport’s youthful abilities.
And with the £350,000 Premier League winner’s prize nonetheless nicely inside his sights, Clayton can don’t have any doubts that his long-delayed full-time transfer into darts was fully justified. After which some.
