STEPHEN BUNTING admitted the crowd made him “emotional” as he booked his spot in the Grand Slam of Darts knockout stages.
The 39-year-old beat Josh Rock 5-2 to seal second place in Group H as he averaged an impressive 106.66.
Bunting, who reached the semi-finals of the Wolverhampton tournament last year, is a fan-favourite among avid darts fans.
His win over Rock was a popular one inside the Aldersley Leisure Village as he moves on to face two-time world champion Gary Anderson.
And The Bullet revealed after the match that he had to tell pundit Mark Webster not to make him cry live on air.
“As soon as I got out on stage tonight you could hear them singing, ‘Let’s go Bunting mental’.
“It’s very emotional to be honest, I’m an emotional guy so I had to check myself back to make sure I wouldn’t cry.
“I even had to say to Mark Webster: ‘Don’t say anything so I cry on Sky again!’
“The crowd is exceptional, and wherever I’m playing now I’ve got my own sets of fans.
“They talk about it in football having a 12th man, and it’s even more important for a player up on the stage. It’s only you who can bring the performance out.