“In the next round I could play a lot better but I don’t think my game is ready to win four tough matches to get to the Crucible yet.
“Hopefully if I can keep getting better and keep improving, my technique becomes reliable and I can get to a better pace, then next year will be the goal to get back to the Crucible.”
It was a candid admission of his shortcomings by the Scot, in what was only his second professional match since he returned after a nine-year absence with defeat to Matthew Selt in the first round of the Gibraltar Open last month.