KEVIN PAINTER returns to one of his favourite venues for the totesport.com Players Championship.
Painter will play Robert Thornton in the first round of the Players Championship on Thursday night, seeing the Essex-born thrower return to the Circus Tavern.
He reached the 2004 World Championship final in Purfleet - only losing out to Phil Taylor in a sudden-death leg in one of the sport's greatest games - and is relishing the chance to get back on the Circus Tavern stage.
"Every time I went to the Circus Tavern I seemed to play well," Painter told 'Sportslive' Internet Radio. "I'm an Essex boy so I got a lot of support and I enjoyed it.
"It's a smaller venue than we're used to playing in, it's got a low roof, the stage is very close to the supporters, and they could virtually reach out and touch the stage, and you get a great atmosphere."
Thornton reached the final of last year's Players Championship, and Painter is expecting a hard battle in their best-of-11 leg contest.
"There are no easy games," he said. "Every game is tough and I've got to make sure I prepare for it and we'll see how it goes."
Painter was knocked out by Raymond van Barneveld in the World Championship a month ago, having impressed in wins over Mensur Suljovic and Vincent van der Voort earlier in the event.
"I was pleased with my first two rounds but I didn't play at all when I played against Barney," he said. "The most disappointing thing was that he didn't play well either, and normally when he's that bad you jump on it and win, but I could not get going at all.
"Other than Phil Taylor, the rest of us have off-days and it just didn't happen for me on the night, so I was quite disappointed with how it went in the end.
"In the first two rounds I played well so it was disappointing the way it turned out in the end.
"That tournament's gone now and I've been getting lots of practice in since and I've got to focus on the next event."
Painter reached the semi-finals at the UK Open last June, and is hoping that 2010 will be the year he claims major glory for the first time.
"Every year you just have to improve," Painter added. "We all want to be in the top five or six in the world and win TV events but that's easier said than done.
"There are 25-30 players who, on their day, could maybe go and win a TV event. The standard now is ridiculous, everybody's bashing each other up.
"Obviously Phil is a different level to the rest of us at the minute and we have to try and bridge that gap."
Tickets for the totesport.com Players Championship are still available for Thursday January 28, priced at £20, and available from the Circus Tavern Box Office on 01708 864001, 01708 863838 or 01708 867271...
Coverage is live on ITV4 or can also be seen in PDCtv
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