CHRIS DOBEY will make a dream come true on Thursday when he makes his Unibet Premier League debut in front of his hometown crowd at Newcastle's Utilita Arena.
Dobey was chosen as one of nine 'contenders' to replace the injured Gary Anderson in the opening nine nights of the Premier League campaign.
The 28-year-old will be the hometown hero on Thursday's opening night in Newcastle as he makes the transition from a face in the crowd to Premier League contender.
"Obviously it was a massive shock when I found out, I couldn’t believe it at first," said Dobey.
"I’ve been to the Premier League in Newcastle many times as a fan, so to now have the chance to go up there and play really is a dream come true.
"This is an amazing opportunity for me to show the world what I’m about in front of my hometown crowd, it will be unreal to perform in front of friends and family on such a big stage.
"I’m playing well, my confidence is sky high at the minute so I will go into the game playing off confidence."
Dobey will take on two-time televised title winner Mensur Suljovic on Thursday in the third game of the night, and is feeling confident about his chances of causing an upset.
"I’ve got nothing to lose, it’s all a new experience for me so I’m going to go out there and give it my best shot," Dobey added.
"There’s no reason why I can’t go out there and win the game if I play how I know I can, I’ll make sure I prepare right for it and once I get up there I will treat it like any other match.
"I used to struggle playing against Mensur but I’ve got to grips with that now and the last time we played each other I came from 3-0 down to beat him. Hopefully Thursday will see the same outcome without me going 3-0 behind!"
Thursday night could open a lot of opportunities for myself so I’m just looking forward to getting up there and giving a good account of myself.
Darts' widest-reaching tournament will see 17 nights of action held from February-May, broadcast live on Sky Sports and worldwide through the PDC's broadcast partners, and through PDCTV-HD for Rest of the World Subscribers.
2019 Unibet Premier League Fixtures:
Night One - Thursday February 7
Utilita Arena, Newcastle
James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
Chris Dobey v Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith
Peter Wright v Rob Cross
Tickets: 0844 493 6666 or click here