SMITH APOLOGISES AND VOWS TO FIGHT THROUGH INJURY

By Aaron Nijjar

An emotional MICHAEL SMITH admits he’s not chasing cheques but just the feeling of winning again on the oche.  

Former World champion Smith battled back from 5-2 down to edge past Daniel Klose 6-5 in a nervy second-round clash at the European Darts Grand Prix. 

‘Bully Boy’ averaged just 88.03 but showed bottle when it mattered as he landed six out of 10 doubles and punished three missed match darts from the German. 

St Helens thrower Smith has endured a tough year as he is yet to reach a Euro Tour quarter-final and is still chasing a maiden ranking title. 

The 34-year-old has also been struggling to deal with arthritis in both of his hands and has been suffering with a shoulder injury after a painful 22mph e-scooter crash.  

But after a gutsy win, Smith opened up on the physical and mental battles he’s facing. 

He revealed: “I’m not bothered about money. I just want to get back to where I was. 

“Not even getting back to world number one — I just want to play again on Sunday nights. 

“It’s been a while since I have done that. I want to be Michael Smith again. 

“That’s the most frustrating thing — the lump in my wrist and the bone sticking out my shoulder. But I’ll get there.” 

Smith later apologised for his attitude on Facebook after his match in Germany where he was seen visibly frustrated on the big stage.  

He said: “Just would like to apologise for my attitude in that game. There’s no excuses but my head is fried.

“From struggling the way I am with my shoulder and wrist to last night getting a phone call off my wife and kids as they thought our dog (Luna) was dying so was a late run to the emergency vets and staying awake till 3am so I could stay in contact with them and trying to comfort them.  

“But thankfully she seems ok now and we don’t know what was wrong with her as she looked possessed with her legs not working and her head twisting like a bird with bird flu.  

“But we go again tomorrow now with a clear head hopefully and a better and more mature performance so once again I apologise.” 

World No. 20 Smith has shown flashes of form with two Players Championship semi-final runs and a UK Open quarter-final. 

However, Smith has not posted a single 105+ average all year — a rare stat for a player renowned for heavy scoring. 

As things stand, Smith is outside the provisional qualifying spots for July’s World Matchplay in Blackpool.  

If the two-time major winner misses out, it’ll be his first absence since 2014. 

Still, Smith believes he’s on the road back and wins like today could be the spark he needs to reignite the undeniable talent he possesses.

Image by Taylor Lanning.