FALLON’S CHICKEN COUP

Despite her new-found fame, Sherrock will prepare for clash against Dobey with a cheeky Nando’s

JINGLE BELLE Fallon Sherrock is poultry in motion on the oche because her pre-match meal is always a cheeky Nando’s.

The Queen of Darts has already unfurled two Christmas miracles at Alexandra Palace and now Sherrock has revealed the secret of her success.

A plate of butterfly chicken, mash and coleslaw helped Sherrock settle the nerves before her stunning upset of world No.11 Mensur Suljovic, and her shock first-round defeat of Ted Evetts at the William Hill PDC World Championship.

Now it’s Geordie stooge Chris Dobey’s turn to try and trash the history girl’s fairy-tale and Sherrock will be following a familiar pre-match routine.

Can you hear the drums for Nando’s? Butterfly chicken is not to be confused with Abba’s No.1 hit 43 years ago, but it works a treat for the people’s champion at Ally Pally.

Sherrock, 25, who has brought odds on her winning the title outright cascading down from 2,000-1 to 250-1 with the title sponsor, said: “My schedule has been exactly the same as before I played Ted in the first round.

“It’s my pre-match meal. I have the butterfly chicken, mash and coleslaw. I will stick to it. It’s now a winning meal – I’ve just got to eat that before every game.”

They may be shifting a lot more chicken at Nando’s restaurants in north London before we ring in 2020, although Sherrock refuses to tempt fate by plotting a potential route to the final.

She said: “I haven’t dared to think about it. I have learned from experience with the BDO and the ladies tournament. Once I planned it out and I went out in the first round.

“That’s why I take each game as it comes and I don’t look too far in front. I don’t even know who is in the bottom half of the draw! I have no idea.”

Dobey (right), 29, will be the latest representative of mankind to discover Sherrock always raises her game when there’s a bloke to turf out of the World Championship.

And the Bedlington terrier, who reached the Players Championship semi-finals last month, has never been beyond the last 16 at the Palace.

Sherrock, the first woman to beat male opposition at the World Championship, said: “You have to lift your game because with the men, they don’t give up. You don’t get any leeway, you need to hit your doubles.

“I didn’t realise I had lost five legs in a row against Mensur. I simply didn’t realise. I could be 2-0 in sets, two legs down, but I wouldn’t think like that – I literally take each leg as it comes.

“That is the positive and only thing different. I focus on each leg and not what the score is. I don’t know if I have frightened the bookies because I don’t understand the numbers, but they might change their minds now because I am causing so many shocks.”

Sherrock’s extraordinary run has sent her Twitter following soaring to almost 75,000 – and the line on the graph shows no sign of reaching a plateau.

“I’ve no idea how many followers I have now,” she gasped. “I was shocked how much it went up in 24 hours after my first win, but I’m really excited to find out what happens next.”