James Wade would have anticipated some boos when he took to the oche for his clash with Keegan Brown on Sunday.
But the level of hostility clearly came as a surprise for ‘The Machine’, who has come in for criticism over his behaviour in the previous round.
Wade’s aggressive behaviour against Japan’s Seigo Asada last week were branded “thuggish” by Wayne Mardle, who said: “That’s just not on. The intimidation, being overly aggressive. That is putting yourself upon someone. That’s bullying and that’s just nasty.”
Wade, who suffers from bipolar disorder, apologised the next day and put his actions down to a hypo-mania episode.
"I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to really hurt him in his face."
Some bizarre post-match comments from James Wade after his tie-break win over Seigo Asada.
Watch live on Sky Sports Darts or follow it here: https://t.co/oBngD5seUy #LovetheDarts pic.twitter.com/NdI3k5mLX9
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 19, 2018
There was little sympathy in Ally Pally for his next match though as the crowd threw their backing behind Keegan Brown from the outset.
A remarkable comeback was required from Wade, who fought back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 and secure a spot in the last 16, but he admitted after the match that the reaction almost forced him off the stage.
JAMES WADE COMPLETES THE COMEBACK | The Machine overcomes a hostile environment to defeat Keegan Brown and book a spot in the last 16#WHDarts pic.twitter.com/qUh5woNLqG
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 23, 2018
He said: “At one point I was close to walking off because I couldn’t handle it, and I felt I was being judged on something that isn’t me or the person I am, but the crowd obviously felt I had something to answer for.
“At the end, I was simply saying ‘Sorry’ and ‘Thank you’ to the crowd. I took my punishment, and it could be deemed as bullying what happened to me today.
“But right now I am probably the happiest man in darts. I was never down and out, I was only battling myself.”
