JOE Murnan has promised he will not freeze on the big stage as he prepares to take on Mark Webster at the PDC World Championships.

The Bolton pro will face the former BDO world champion on Sunday, December 18 – third up in the afternoon session.

He scored a famous victory over Andy Hamilton in the first round last year, on his debut at the championships, which are held at London Alexandra Palace.

But that remains Murnan's only win in a televised tournament.

The 33-year continued his miserable record in front of the cameras in two recent high-profile tournaments – losing 6-5 against Joe Cullen in the first round of the World Series of Darts finals in Glasgow and 6-0 against Jermaine Wattimena in the Players Championship in Minehead.

He is adamant, however, that there will be no repeat of that sorry display when he meets Welshman Webster.

"I have never done well at the Player Championship tournament," he admitted.

"I don't like the venue (Butlins Minehead).

"It's always been cold when I've been up there, it's just not really a warm stage for me.

"Maybe I should think about taking my long johns next year.

"But the Ally Pally is different.

"I beat Andy Hamilton in the first round last year, who was a solid opponent, and know what it is all about.

"The big crowd and the atmosphere does not really come into it.

"For me it all depends on how you are playing at the time.

"You get used to the crowd being there and after a while the noise just becomes a bit of a blur when you are up there - it just kind of melts into the background and you focus on your darts.

"The main thing is to enjoy it and not to think about anything else."

Hindley-born Murnan, who works at Darts Corner in Slater Street, close to his home in Halliwell, and trains at the Crofters on Halliwell Road, says he has been enjoying his most consistent season ever.

Although, by his own admission, he has "not broken any pots".

"I have been really consistent in the floor tournaments and qualified for numerous European events, which is what you have to do to make it to the big televised tournaments," he said.

"In many respects, all the hard work is done just getting there.

"I have not broken any pots - I think the furthest I have been in a tournament is the quarter-finals - but I have made a lot of last 16s."

Despite not getting close to a tournament win this season, the no-nonsense northerner is not ruling anything out as he prepares for his trip to the capital.

"I think for the last two years, the reason my results have improved has been because my mind has been right," he added.

"It has been great to be able to train with a guy like Scott Taylor (from Westhoughton), who is a real star in the making.

"We have trained together a lot at the Crofters and got regular match practice in at local tournaments in and around Bolton, which is key to giving you that competitive edge.

"But it is actually the training I have been doing by myself that has helped really get my mindset right.

"I have really committed to it, and done the hard work on my own to get fully focussed.

"So when the worlds start, it will just be a case of concentrating and putting all my energy into the game ahead of me.

"You have to believe you can win every game you go into, or you won't stand a chance.

"That's the way I approach tournaments. I believe I can win the World Championships, or else there is no point in entering, but I will only be concentrating on that first hurdle and beating Mark Webster."