MICHAEL SMITH has vowed the “pressure is not off” despite winning Night 13 of the Premier League.

The World Champion leapt up to third in the table after beating Gerwyn Price in the final in Leeds on Thursday night.

But he dismissed any claims that he is close to securing a place in the race for the top four.

He faces rival Nathan Aspinall in Manchester next week and said “I’ve not got one foot at the O2 finals. A couple of weeks back I was a lot clearer than this.

“The pressure’s not off because next week’s another massive game.

“If I beat Nathan (Aspinall) I go three points clear of him. I can potentially go six points in front of Jonny (Clayton).

“I’ve still got three weeks left, I need to concentrate and do what I know I can do.

“I said to Nathan backstage before the final that we’ll have a practice and a chat. Just two mates. We can even go to the pub and have a pint.

“Nathan is an inspiration. He has battled so hard, you can see him. He’s getting upset, he’s getting frustrated. The kid’s a fighter. He loves it, he loves battling.”

Smith also revealed that he wants to win multiple world titles before he hangs up the arrows.

He said: “I said to the wife in Vegas, I want to win two, three, four World Championship titles. I want a lot more stars on my back.

“It’s about getting that winning feeling back, that fight back again. The same as what I’ve been doing for the last six or seven years.”

Story by Phil Lanning