WADE OPENS UP ON 'BLOODY AWFUL' FEELING THAT STILL HITS HIM BEFORE EVERY MATCH

JAMES WADE wishes his nerves would “p*** off” despite two decades of Matchplay success.

The world No6 made his 21st appearance at the Winter Gardens with a 10-7 victory over Jermaine Wattimena.

Wade, 43, has reached seven finals in Blackpool and lifted the trophy in 2007, but the darts legend insists the pressure and anxiety never go away.

He said: “There’s no warm feeling. It’s bloody awful. I still get so nervous and so apprehensive and so unsure.

“I guess the closest I’d describe it to is when you’re really bad at football, as I was as a kid at school, and you know, all the kids are getting picked for football and you’re so far down the picking order.

“It’s the same now, you know, it’s the same experience, same feeling.”

The 11-time major winner believes those worries are what keep him hungry and stop him becoming complacent after more than two decades at the top of the game.

He added: “For me, that’s a bit of education for yourself. Be nervous, be appreciative.

“Be frightened and be aware of what those other people give to you.

“I’m frightened, I’m nervous, I’m unsure of myself every single time I play darts.”

Wade admits he hates the feeling but knows it plays a key role in his continued success.

He explained: “I wish the nerves would p*** off, to be fair. I’ve got no interest in them. I hate them.

“I hate being so nervous and I hate being so unsure. I’m 43 years old and I wish it would just bugger off.

“But when it does bugger off, I guess that’s the time I don’t want to wait.”

Wade returns to action on Tuesday evening and will face Ryan Searle for a spot in the quarter-final of the Premier event.

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning