Anderson insists youngsters still fear him after rolling back the years

GARY ANDERSON insists the younger generation are still “a little bit scared” of him after rolling back the years at the World Grand Prix.

The world No10 survived match darts to fight back and beat Damon Heta 2-1 in Leicester.

Anderson, 55, averaged a solid 90.11 and fired in TWO ton-plus checkouts to set up a clash with Niels Zonneveld in round two.

The Flying Scotsman is still waiting for his first title of the season but has continued to impress on the biggest stages.

Ando reached the semi-finals of the World Championship before making the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay and also finished runner-up at the Hungarian Darts Trophy.

The former world champ was asked whether he fears the youngsters, with Luke Littler already a 14-time major winner at just 19 and Gian van Veen, 24, sitting second in the world rankings.

He said: “No. Are they scared of me? I still think they are little bit scared of me. I’ll be fifty six this year at the worlds.

“I can still play darts. They might be young but I'm old. I’ve got the head up there for it.”

Anderson also reflected on the current PDC scene and advised youngsters coming through the ranks to put in the hard work if they want to make it as professional.

The eight-time major winner is known for rarely practising but believes his years of experience give him an edge.

He added: “It’s good. There are lots of tournaments on. The youngsters coming through they think they can go from school to being a professional dart player.

“But it’s not that easy. If your a youngster, youngsters need to practice. Train, train, train, train get the head right, train.

“When you get older you can slack of it enjoy it and have fun. It’s all about having fun.”