Jose focused on debut “dream” Premier title
By Phil Lanning
JOSE de Sousa admits he has got his mind on making a “dream” come true and picking up a debut Premier League win.
The Portuguese star sits in the vital fourth place in the table and now needs to fend off Jonny Clayton and Gary Anderson out of the Play-Off places.
De Sousa has already hit a nine-darter and is threatening to smash the tournament’s 180 record before returning to action on Monday night.
He said: “I will be trying my best to make my dream of winning the Premier League come true.
“I never expect anything in darts, you have to work for success. But if I can do it I will be a very, very happy man.
“At the start of the Premier League I was disappointed, I felt I deserved better results and I got a bit unlucky with my doubles.
“But I keep pushing and pushing to get better, which you have to when you are playing top players every night.
“It’s nice to spend a little time at home with family at the moment, it feels like a holiday after being away for so long!
“But now I’m looking forward to getting back and I can’t wait to play in front of the crowd. It’s always nice to see the crowd at the darts enjoying themselves – I hope to hit a lot of 180s for them!”
De Sousa, 47, is looking to follow in the footsteps of Glen Durrant a year ago by lifting the title in his debut campaign.
Having been a prolific winner on the soft-tip circuit, De Sousa made his World Championship debut in 2011, but had to wait eight years until winning a PDC Tour Card.
He added: “When I first started playing in the PDC, playing in front of the crowd used to make me feel a little bit nervous.
“I’ve learnt to deal with that now, but what really changed for me was when I changed to my new darts one-and-a-half years ago – they are the perfect darts for me, they gave me so much confidence.
“My life has changed a lot after the last year, I have bought my house and car. I have a good life in Spain.
“I have a wonderful wife so everything right now is good for me, I don’t have to worry about money anymore which makes it easy for me to play darts.
“If you want this work you have to make some sacrifices. I have the support of my family and friends which makes it easier when I’m away.”
Images by Taylor Lanning.