• PDC World Championship

Wright: I've still got a job to do

Peter Wright is looking forward to a quiet New Year's Eve before some fireworks on New Year's Day against Michael van Gerwen © PA Photos

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Peter Wright insists he deserves to be in the 2014 PDC World Championship final following his brilliant 6-2 semi-final win over Simon Whitlock.

Wright produced another fantastic performance to cap a sublime run to the biggest final in world darts, following impressive victories over Premier League ace Wes Newton and Phil Taylor's conqueror Michael Smith.

However, Wright, who led the Australian 5-1 at one point, maintained he had learned from previous mistakes and had not gotten ahead of himself while sitting atop of a big lead.

"I think I deserve to be in the final," Wright told ESPN. "There were little nerves inside, but I had to pretend it was a different tournament, that I was in a different tournament and it wasn't the worlds.

"I was visualising, this is the first round of the tournament and I'm playing Phil Taylor - so I had to be focused 100%. You can't lapse off or anything.

"I've done that [lose when leading] before, on the Pro Tour. I was five-nil up against Adrian Lewis, it was when I first joined. I was five-nil up and then it was six-five - because I went 'I'm five-nil up' rather than getting on. So I said to myself 'win this leg', 'break him', 'win this leg'. That's all I was thinking."

With the final - which he will now contest against second seed Michael van Gerwen following the Dutchman's whitewash of Adrian Lewis - taking place on New Year's Day, Wright revealed he intends to stick to the same game plan; but a late night on New Year's Eve is off the cards.

"[I'll be going for] exactly the same strategy in the final - what's the point in changing it? It's working," Wright said. "We're going to have all the kids and the family down, so they're going to be here. But I won't be up until midnight [on New Year's Eve], because I've got a job to do."

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