Michael Smith offers his support to “inspirational” Nathan Aspinall

Michael Smith says he has offered his support to Nathan Aspinall ahead of their Premier League meeting in Manchester on Thursday.

Aspinall has been battling with an issue with his throw in recent weeks and has been left visibly frustrated on stage in both the Premier League and European Tour events.

Aspinall declined to comment on the subject when asked on stage by MC Philip Brzezinski during last weekend’s Dutch Darts Championship but remains as tenacious as ever in his quest for success.

Close friends Smith and Aspinall will go head-to-head on Night 14 of the Premier League at Manchester’s AO Arena, with the pair making the short trip from St Helens and Stockport respectively.

Smith has revealed he reached out to Aspinall last week with a view to helping him overcome the problem, admitting: “I said to him backstage before the final [in Leeds] ‘listen, we’ll go out and have a practice on Tuesday or Wednesday and have a chat as two mates.’

“We could even go to the pub and have a pint and a quick chat.

“Nathan’s an inspiration, for people out there watching him, he’s battled so hard, you can see him, he’s getting upset and frustrated, but the kid’s a fighter.

“He loves battling and fighting, he’s an amazing player.”

Both head in to the contest inside the top four, with Smith occupying third spot after picking up his second weekly title of the campaign in Leeds last week.

The reigning World Champion is vying to reach Finals Night for the first time since 2018 – when he finished runner-up – and he has held down a top four spot in all but one night since the second week of action.

Aspinall sits in fourth position, four points clear of nearest challenger Jonny Clayton, and reached the Semi-Finals last week following on from his Night 12 title in Rotterdam.

Ahead of the clash between the two local stars, Smith added: “I think it’s a bit poor that we’re playing each other [in Manchester], especially as it’s our home venue, but it’s not our choice who we’re playing!

“It would have been nice not to play Nathan in Manchester but we are and one of us has got to win.

“Hopefully it’s me, because if I do win then I put that extra bit of breathing space between us.

“Since winning the World Championship and winning in Bahrain, by my standards I’ve been poor, but I played really well last week. It was a big win for me.”