Brendan Dolan goes into the PDC World Darts Championship in confident mood after a title winning year.

The Belcoo man started 2019 with his best ever performance at the World Championships and he has since followed that up with two title wins to give him his first ranking victories in five years. He is now heading to the Alexandra Palace hoping he can bring that new found confidence to the biggest stage.

“I am feeling very good. I’m feeling very confident,” he said.

“Doing so well last year by getting into the quarter-finals, which was the best I’ve ever done, and obviously getting two tournament wins this year definitely boosts the confidence. I do feel that even when I am getting beaten I’m still playing well and I’m only having the odd bad game. The consistency has been raised and that’s what it’s all about.”

Dolan had slipped down the ranking prior to last year’s quarter final appearance, but he is back moving in the right direction again and has moved up to 35th in the world rankings ahead of this year’s tournament.

The 46 year old has put his resurgence down to an intense practice schedule.

“I’ve been working hard at it all year,” he revealed.

“Even before the World Championships last year I worked hard for three or four months and I did well in the Worlds. This year I’ve been working the same way. Earlier in the year I wasn’t getting the results but I was still playing reasonably well. I got a win in Germany in August and that gives you a more deeper belief. It does wonders for the confidence and that’s probably why I won another one since.”

The draw for the tournament has pitched him against lowly ranked Nitin Kumar in the first round. Despite holding the higher ranking Brendan is taking nothing for granted ahead of Sunday afternoon’s encounter.

“It’s not going to be easy. No draw in the worlds is,” he said. “I have a young fellow from India who played in the World Championship last year and has played in India quite a bit and seems to be their number one. I’ve never met him or played against him but because my form is so good it’s more to do with how I’m playing rather than how he will play. I have full belief that I’m going to win.”

If Brendan progresses as expected then he is scheduled to face one of the big names in the sport. Gary Anderson is a two time PDC world Champion having won the tournament in 2015 and 2016, but he has a season interrupted by injury in 2019 and Dolan reckons it could be a good time to meet the Scot.

“Gary hasn’t played a lot this year,” explained Brendan.

“He suffered with a back injury early in the year but he is a natural darts player.

“After his last appearance in the Grand Slam he will be disappointed with how it went, but I’m sure he has been working at it and practicing to put it right.

“I think I’m maybe a wee bit sharper than he is. He has only played a few tournaments this year and I would feel very confident going up against Gary. I think it’s a good time to play him.

“I don’t think he’ll have an abundance of confidence and possibly if I score well and stick with him then when it comes to the crucial double he will be missing and I will be taking it out.”

If Brendan successfully navigates his first round against Kumar he will take on Anderson on Monday December 16.