Peter Wright has had a torrid season so far, finishing bottom of the Premier League with just two wins in 16 weeks.
The two-time World Champion has struggled to close out matches and Wright admits this is a part of his game that has annoyed him.
The same looked to be happening last night at the US Darts Masters, but ‘Snakebite’ managed to fight off a comeback from Alex Spellman to win a deciding leg.
Wright admits he needs to banish the negative thoughts that enter his mind on the oche if he is to get back to winning ways.
Peter Wright annoyed at letting matches slip
The Scotsman was in a position to secure more victories in the Premier League before succumbing to defeat, and he told Online Darts he needs to stop letting leads slip to get his season back on track.
“I’m just happy winning the game, getting over the line to be honest. Obviously I’ve thrown a lot of games away over the last couple of months and it’s been pretty annoying.
“You feel great in the practice room, you feel great when you come out but then when you’re up there under pressure you’re going, ‘oh no it’s happening again, what am I doing?’ and all these stupid thoughts come into your head and you’re thinking ‘go away, just focus on the game.’”
Despite the victory, Wright will need to up his performance levels if he is to lift the title in New York.
He only averaged 87.75 against Spellman and takes on Gerwyn Price next who recently climbed back into the world’s top four.
Peter Wright remains defiant despite concerns
In typical Peter Wright fashion, he bullishly claimed he will ‘definitely’ win another major this year and force his way back into next year’s Premier League.
The reigning European Champion has made a habit of letting people know when he is about to lift a big one and he has usually been correct.
Times have changed though and the emergence of Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, combined with his own struggling form makes this prospect unlikely.
Wright’s current level of performance has been below par for nearly 18 months now and he endured a dismal Premier League campaign last year too.
At 54-years-old, ‘Snakebite’ faces an uphill struggle on the oche but whatever happens, he will go down as one of the best to ever play the sport.