McGILL: I FEARED I WAS OUT
Battling Scot sinks Day
ANTHONY McGILL was as proud as punch after pulling off a classic Crucible comeback at the Betfred World Championship.
The Glaswegian potter thought he was down and out against Ryan Day in Sheffield.
But the brave Scot battled back from 6-3 and 8-5 down to claim a famous 10-8 victory.
McGill said: “I thought I’d blown my chance.
“I was in the dressing room at 8-5 down and thought it was all over. I can’t believe I won that match because I was behind for most of it.
“I’m over the moon to win, it just shows what can happen out there if you manage to dig in and fight until the death.
“I managed to turn it around and I’m absolutely delighted. You’ll lose 99 per cent of matches from that position but you’ll lose 100 per cent if you just give up. It’s the World Championship – it’s a tournament worth trying in.”
Memories of his 10-2 battering by compatriot Stephen Maguire last year came flooding back when McGill was 7-3 down to Welshman Day.
But McGill trailed reeled off five frames on the spin to secure a showdown with Chinese superstar Ding Junhui.
And he reckons he now has nothing to lose having avoided a second successive first-round exit at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams.
McGill added: “Last year I was 7-2 down against Stephen, I wasn’t thinking clearly, I knew I was getting beat. But I had a bit more fight about me this time.
“You can’t play well if you’re driving on the motorway going home.
“As long as you’re in the tournament you can pick it up. I’ll need to because you can dig in but eventually you need to play some good snooker.
“The last two frames I felt really comfortable even though the pressure was on.
“It gives me great confidence my best snooker came at the end of the match when it was backs against the wall stuff.
“I feel like anything now is a bonus and I’m delighted to still be in with a chance.”
After his defeat three-time quarter-finalist Day – who has won three titles this season – took a potshot at two fans who got under his skin.
He said: “There were a couple of idiots in the crowd trying to get a rise out of me.
“Maybe the proximity to the crowd doesn’t help me, they were purposely trying to get on my back.”