Joe Perry says he is pleased with his current form after he booked his place in the fourth round of the UK Championship.

The Chatteris cueman has had an inconsistent season but reached the last 16 at the Barbican in York with a 6-3 win over world number 44 Kurt Maflin on Monday (December 4).

“I just haven’t seen a match through from start to finish yet,” Perry told the BBC.

“Luckily people have missed a couple of balls against me - maybe that’s because I have put them under pressure.

“I haven’t really been punished for my mistakes. But I am happy with the way I am playing. I am not 100 per cent, I am not flying, but it’s a vast improvement on what I have been doing.”

Perry will play Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen for a place in the quarter-finals tonight (6).

“Mark is a top player. If I stay good in my head, if he plays well and beats me then that’s that,” he added.

“He has a great temperament. He is pretty good at everything and has been consistent this season. You always have to play well to beat Mark.”