'I’m close to running out of money' - Paul Nicholson revealed he came close to working in a bar before his big commentary break

All this would give a different feel to the tour for Nicholson, with his struggling form leading him to keep his eye out for different opportunities. When speaking to the Tops and Tales Podcast, he said: “I wouldn’t qualify for the Worlds for a while. The European Tour was very, very difficult to get on all of a sudden after being a seed for the first two, three seasons and tour life was different."

As the money stopped flowing in, Nicholson had to assess his options, which led him to sell his house and apply for a bar job. "I was earning a lot less money and around 2016, I’m close to losing my card. I’m close to running out of money. I had to sell my house and rented an accommodation with my girlfriend. She had to support me for a little bit of time.

“There was a time in the summer of 2016, where I swallowed my pride whole, like it was a five pound pill. I said ‘go and get a job then.’ I haven’t had a job since 2008. So, eight years, what do I do? I was one of the best 10 players in the world at one point. But this is a massive reality check. So I actually got a job to work at a golf club in the bar. I got the job and I thought, right, okay, we’re going to do this.”

His breakthrough off the oche

Fortunately for Nicholson, his pint-pouring skills were never utilised as he received a phone call from his agent Dave Allen, which has changed his life, and The Asset has never looked back.

“That same week, my saviour called me, Dave Allen again. My saviour said, ‘Rod Harrington doesn’t want to do the Austrian darts event next week and you’ve had a bit of commentary experience. Would you like to go and work there with Chris Murphy and Dan Dawson?’

“I said, yes, please. I’ll take that. Yes. Thank you. I’ve done some commentary gigs, but that was my break. That was my big break. Vienna 2016. That tournament was brilliant and it coincided that was the last European tour event Phil Taylor would play. He won that one. It was his last one, but it was my first one. That was where things sort of tipped towards the media side.”