Scott Mitchell will tick an item off his bucket list when he makes his William Hill World Darts Championship debut on Thursday.
The 2015 Lakeside Champion takes on fellow Ally Pally first-timer Chris Landman in the opening round for the right to face Ian White.
And Mitchell is determined to savour his first experience on the famous Alexandra Palace stage as he lives out another darting dream.
“I have great memories of playing at Lakeside but there would have been a part of me missing if I never played at Ally Pally,” said the 51-year-old who qualified as a result of a successful first season on the Pro Tour.
“I went to Qualifying School in January with the aim of playing at the World Championship in December. I managed to get through and have a decent year to make it happen so I’m proud of myself.
“It’s a bucket list dream for me to play at Alexandra Palace. I’ve watched the event on TV for years and have been in awe of the atmosphere. The fans play a big part and I’m really looking forward to just being there.”
Mitchell isn’t expecting an easy opening clash against Dutch debutant Landman, but does believe the draw could have been crueller to him.
“I watched the draw live on Sky Sports News. I loved it. It was really exciting for me to find out who I was going to play.
“I could have had a worse draw. I could’ve had Lisa Ashton or Fallon Sherrock, I wanted to avoid them because they are great players and they would have the crowd fully behind them.
“I won’t be underestimating Chris, though. He has played in some of the same tournaments as me so I know a bit about him. I know he is a decent player and I won’t show him any disrespect by thinking any further ahead than that match.
“It’s amazing just to be a part of this tournament and I can’t wait to walk out on that stage.”
The William Hill World Darts Championship is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and RTL7, and on PDCTV (excluding UK and Netherlands based subscribers).