Keighley teenager Dylan Mitchell, who has only been playing snooker for five years, has a dream TV match next week.

The 18-year-old faces world No 1 Neil Robertson in the first round of the williamhill.com UK Championships in York on Saturday, November 30 (7pm).

But the Bogthorn youngster is not expecting to be consumed by fear when he plays against the 2010 world champion at the Barbican Centre.

“I get more nervous playing matches that I am expected to win, such as the Keighley Championships,” said Mitchell.

“I am over the moon about facing Neil. You know what you are going to get from him and I expect to play better against the better players such as Neil and Ronnie O’Sullivan. I know I am not expected to win but it is all experience.”

Mitchell, who is getting the chance to feature in the sport’s second most important event alongside six other amateurs because seven professionals did not enter, started playing at the West Yorkshire Bus Club in 2008.

He explained: “I used to go there with my dad Wayne on a Friday and Saturday night and annoy people by telling them what shots to play.

“When I had a go myself, I found out that I was already better than my dad!”

Three years later, Mitchell was winning a Regional Junior Tour North event at Whitley Bay and last November he played in the UK Players’ Tour Championship before competing in three qualifying school tournaments last May.

Mitchell, who wants to turn professional, lost 5-1 to both Ben Woolaston in the Wuxi Classic and Li Yan in the Australian Open at Gloucester and went down at the same last-128 stage to Tony Drago by 5-3 in the Shanghai Masters at Doncaster.

The teenager said: “Ben is one of the best players in the world and Tony has loads of experience. Playing him in front of about 50 spectators was probably my previous biggest match.”

Mum Karen may only have been half-joking when she said they may have to remortgage their home near Oakworth to support Mitchell’s career path.

But at least he is getting backing from Keighley firm Motorhub, who sell second-hand high-performance cars, for the UK Championship.

Mitchell, who has been earning money from bar work at Pilky’s Cue Sports Club in Keighley to fund himself, said: “Motorhub have paid my entry fees and I may look for some accommodation up there, although it is so close to us that I may travel from home.”

The youngster, who practises with main tour player Simon Bedford at Pilky’s, has also received coaching from former world champion Joe Johnson at his Academy at Cue Gardens venue in Bradford.

Mitchell, who won the Bradford Snooker League with Pilky’s in the summer and reached the semi-finals of the autumn Keighley Championships, will not be lacking for support at the Barbican.

He explained: “Each player gets four free tickets and they are going to my dad, my sister Faye, her boyfriend Richard and my brother Jake. My mum is too scared to go – she will watch it on the telly!”

The UK Championship is unique in that all 128 players in the draw feature at the main venue, which means that Bedford is also in the limelight against Jamie Burnett.

Bedford apart, other Bradford interest is Gareth Green against Judd Trump, while former Bradford resident James Wattana is facing Ian Burns and Peter Lines of Leeds meets Sam Baird.