Stephen Bunting cheekily declared he ‘had a few bad habits’ as Ed Sheeran took in the world No.8’s second-round win at the World Darts Championship.
Bunting overcame Germay’s Kai Gottahrdt with a 3-1 victory at Alexandra Palace to seal a spot in the third round and he will now be able to enjoy Christmas with his family.
The contest between Bunting and Gotthardt was brought forward by 30 minutes after Sandro Eric Sosing was forced to withdraw from his first-round encounter against Ian White.
Sosing complained of chest pains while practising before his match and was attended to by medical staff.
The Filipino competitor has since been transported to hospital.
Thrown off his routine, Bunting started slowly as Gotthardt took the first set.
It could have been disaster for Bunting as his German rival had three darts to hit D8 and steal a 2-0 lead.
However, Gotthardt missed all three attempts.
With the door now ajar, Bunting took full advantage and checked out on D10 to level the contest.
From that moment onwards, it was all one-way traffic as the eighth seed reeled off a staggering seven-straight legs to lock up the victory.
Pop sensation Sheeran was in attendance for Bunting’s win and the Liverpudlian couldn’t help but reference the musician when describing his performance as he expressed his delight at having the four-time Grammy winner in attendance.
“Well, I had a few bad habits in that game to be fair, didn’t I,” Bunting said in his post-match press conference.
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“Yeah listen, I’m a massive fan of his (Sheeran), even though he supports Ipswich Town.
“I’m surprised he’s not come here to disrupt the interview, to be honest.
“It would be really nice to meet him. I’m a massive fan of his music [which is] on my Spotify. I’ve got some of his songs flying through my head. I think my lad had a few moments with him, he’ll tell me on the way home.”
Bunting added he had an inkling Sheeran was inside the Alexandra Palace thanks to his manager, although it may not be the most high-profile individual with ginger hair to have watched the darts star in action.
“We need high-profile people coming to watch our sport,” Bunting said.
“It really does spur us on, especially when you’re on stage and you know. My manager even alluded to it early on, he told me he (Sheeran) was here.
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“It must be something about gingers, because Prince Harry’s been here watching me as well, and now I’ve got Ed Sheeran. What’s going on?!”
Perhaps Sheeran, who was the subject of cheeky chants about Ipswich from the crowd, got involved with Bunting’s walkout as Sia and David Guetta’s ‘Titanium’ blared around the venue.
Fans were in full voice after Bunting’s win too, chanting ‘Let’s go Bunting mental’.
Bunting likened the support to what The Kop does for his beloved Liverpool Football Club and hailed the ‘massive’ belief it gives him.
“I don’t just feel it in the venue,” Bunting said.
“I feel it all over my social media, I feel it when I go out in my hometown, I feel it in every venue I play now. It’s so important.
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“I talk about Liverpool, they always talk about the 12th man and it gets them through so many games. It’s different here because it’s only me up on stage, I can’t pass the ball to no-one. If things don’t go right, then it’s a difficult place to play.
“But when you’ve got that crowd behind you, it’s a special place to play and I’m so thankful the Bunting army was there and they all went Bunting mental.”
Bunting will face either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Madars Razma in the third round, with the match to take place after Christmas.