JOE Cullen is looking to make it back-to-back European Tour wins this weekend, disappointing news for his wife Toni.

The Wyke darts superstar claimed the third European Tour title of his career in Budapest on Sunday, and will be going for number four in Jena in a few days’ time.

But a sheepish Cullen laughed: “I spoke to my wife on the phone out in Budapest, because I’d only been home from Australia and New Zealand for three days before flying out to Hungary.

“I said to her that if I had a good run in Budapest, I might give the next one a miss.

“So when I won, she asked if that meant I wasn’t going to Germany this weekend, but I said I couldn’t do that now, as I might be on a roll.”

He added: “With the European Tour, I’m looking ahead to the finals in Dortmund at the end of October, but also to next year’s edition.

“It’s vital to stay in the seeds for a better draw, and the £25,000 I got for winning at the weekend will secure my place on the scene for a while.

“The money was great, but to be honest, nothing beats the feeling of winning.”

The Bradford thrower was millimetres away from going out in the semi-finals in Budapest, but opponent Dave Chisnall missed three match darts before losing the game 7-6.

Cullen reflected: “I wasn’t at my best in my quarter-final win (against Rusty-Jake Rodriguez) so I knew I had to up my game against Chizzy.

“I knew I’d do better in that semi-final, but I couldn’t have had any grumbles if I’d lost.

“Mind, even with his three match darts, I don’t think Chizzy can have any complaints, as it was one of those games where it was a shame there had to be a loser, which I think you could see with the quality we both showed in the deciding leg.”

The final was a bit of a cakewalk for Cullen after that epic last-four clash, as he demolished William O’Connor 8-2.

The Bradfordian said: “In my mind, it maybe felt inevitable that I’d win the tournament after coming through that semi-final.

“But William has beaten me a couple of times before, and he had to get past big names like Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall and Dimitri van den Bergh to reach this final.

“The difference was probably that I knew how to win, whereas William’s not done so yet on the big stage.

“I knew if I could punish him early doors he’d struggle to handle it, and when I went 5-0 up it was pretty much over already.

“William played in the second semi-final too, which meant I had a bit more rest, and I think mentally, he was just happy to be in the final, whereas I really wanted to win.

“I was pleased though, because for a lot of the tournament, I had to grind it out, whereas my two previous European Tour wins I just blew away the competition.”

There are three European Tour events left before those finals in Dortmund, with the last of those being held in Gibraltar in the middle of next month.

And an excited Cullen said: “It doesn’t always get the biggest crowd, but it’s a special place to play Gibraltar.

“Ten or 12 of my mates always try to come to one of the European Tour events each year too, and they’re coming to the Gibraltar one this time.

“Because of that, and my win in Budapest, I can relax a bit at that event, and focus more on the majors around it.”