NATHAN ASPINALL returns to the Premier League Darts finale today for the first time since 2021.
It is a huge accomplishment for The Asp given the huge backlash his selection for the tournament received in January.
Aspinall won two nights to qualify in third place behind and .
He takes on the latter in the semi-final and regardless of the result, it has been a brilliant journey for the 33-year-old.
Aspinall has returned to form since over the last couple of years.
The issue first plagued him in the 2023 as he threw away a 4-0 lead to lose to .
His struggles even reduced him to tears and he feared he may never return to his best.
Aspinall spoke openly about his emotional reaction to one loss, and revealed he has since spoken to a sports psychologist to help him adjust to the problem.
He said: “All of a sudden out of nowhere I couldn’t throw my effing dart. I just couldn’t let it go. It ended up getting worse and worse and worse to the point where I was in tears.
“Because I knew what it was. The dreaded D-word that no darts player ever wants to hear or get. Something called dartitis.
“It’s horrific, no one ever wants to get it. Not many people come back from it.
“It’s basically the fear of missing. There’s somewhere deep in the back of your head saying ‘you’re going to miss this’ so you stop.
“I lost the game 6-5, I went upstairs after the game and I was in the toilet and I was absolutely smashing ten lumps of s*** out of the hand dryer. I lost my head.”;
Aspinall won the European Darts Trophy in March but has failed to progress past the quarter-final stage at every other tournament this year.
Success in the Premier League would be his first major honour since the 2023 World Matchplay.
It would also more than justify Aspinall’s selection, which attracted criticism and , by the star’s own admission.
He said of the grief: “I’m not going to lie, it was s**. It was hard. It was horrific.
“I came off social media because of the abuse I was getting.
“I’m not exaggerating here but it ruined my life for a month. Not just my life, my family’s lives, too. It was horrific.
“But I’m a professional sportsman, you have to deal with it. And I put things in place to deal with that.
“Me and Gezzy (Gerwyn Price) received both the same treatment and have used it to our advantage. I’ve enjoyed this Premier League campaign more than anyone.”;
Aspinall has experienced a wild ride to the top ranks of darts, having turned to the sport after missing out on a professional career as a footballer.
He said: “I got scouted to play at thegoalkeeping Academy, it was a feeder club for Manchester United and other clubs.”;
Aspinall’s shot-stopping ability also caught the eye of Scottish giants Rangers, although he snubbed their advances as his family didn’t fancy the move up north.
He continued: “I got offered contracts for Rangers when I was nine, I played for Stockport County and had trials with them.
“Football was the way I wanted to go. Every kid wants to be a footballer.
“It didn’t work out for me but I played at a semi-pro level and I’m now a professional darts player.
“If I was a little bit taller I could have made it. I got released because I was too small as a goalkeeper. I wasn’t tall enough.
“I met Edwin van der Sar a couple of weeks ago and now I realise why I didn’t make it, because he’s about 19ft.”;
