Legendary darts referee Russ Bray has warned Luke Littler he will not always have the crowd on his side in the upcoming Premier League.
Bray believes the teenager will be able to deal with any animosity he faces during his first year in the competition.
Littler was named as a wildcard pick for the Premier League following his record-breaking run at Alexandra Palace at the turn of the year.
He will begin his campaign against world champion Luke Humphries in Cardiff on Thursday, five days on from beating him at the Dutch Darts Masters.
Luke Littler has been warned to expect a frosty atmosphere at times during the Premier League
PA
Littler was booed by sections of the support in Den Bosch during his first-round match against Netherlands star Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The crowd were also on his back as they cheered on home favourite Michael van Gerwen in the final on Saturday.
Littler enjoyed most of the support during his run at Ally Pally but Bray says he must get used to that not always being the case.
The semi-retired ref told the Daily Star: "Personally, I don’t think he’ll worry too much about it.
"It’s his first year in the Premier League and he’s going to be very excited about playing week in, week out.
"I don’t think that will worry him, but it’s a new aspect he’ll have to get used to, having the crowd against him and getting a few boos when he’s going for a double because most of the places we go to are pretty partisan to their local player.
"The guys and girls in Scotland are very patriotic as well, so it’ll be very interesting. I’m really looking forward to watching it.”
Bray admits he was slightly surprised that a player of Littler's age was picked as a wildcard for the Premier League.
The tournament will run for 17 consecutive Thursdays, with the play-off and final taking place at London's O2 Arena on May 23.
Bray says there is the potential concern of a player at Littler's age being burnt out by the early exposure on the professional tour.
However, he has no doubt he has the talent to be a big force in the competition.
Bray added: "A little bit [surprised] because of his age. Because of his talent, no.
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Luke Littler has mostly enjoyed a good rapport with the crowd so far
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"The Premier League is about putting bums on seats. You get these people saying, ‘so and so should get in because he’s in the top whatever…’ Not necessarily.
"It goes on what’s going to be entertaining for the night, and Luke Littler is going to be entertaining.
"He’s quick and dynamic. Luke Humphries is the same. It’s about giving people entertainment.
"It’s hard, it’s brutal, even more so now because not only is it once a week, they have to be there on a Wednesday, the night before.
Luke Littler will begin his debut Premier League campaign on Thursday
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"Thursday they play and Friday they might be in Europe [for a European Tour event]. Play Saturday, Sunday, back Monday, home Tuesday, then on Wednesday back for the Premier League.
"His age? I worry sometimes about burnout with younger players. Is it too much, too early? But he’s got a good management team and family behind him. I’m pretty sure he’ll be fine."
