ANY thoughts that Terry Jenkins was going to need a year to get back to his best went out of the window with an impressive victory over 13-time world champion Phil Taylor.

The Bull' had lost his opening two Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts matches which led to commentators suggesting it was going to take the former Ledbury antique dealer 12 months to rediscover the form that propelled him to the top of his sport.

However, the 8-5 victory over the reigning Premier League champion at the MEN Arena has made a huge statement to the rest of the darts world.

"After I lost to James Wade I was told that one of the commentators said that it was going to take me 12 months to get back - that is complete nonsense," Jenkins said.

"The victory over Taylor was just what I needed. The practices have been going well and if that doesn't happen then you're never going to win."

The success against The Power' has moved Jenkins off the foot of the Premier League table and last season's runner-up believes it is far too early to say who will reach the final four.

With another 11 matches to go, Jenkins takes on the man he beat in last year's semi-final and the 2007 world champion Raymond van Barneveld at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry next Thursday.

"I knew that I had a tough start to the competition," Jenkins said. "After Barney, I have got (world champion) John Part, Peter Manley and Wayne Mardle.

"I can reach the play-offs, it is far too early to count anyone out. I have got to treat all of them as if I was playing Taylor."

Having taken a 3-0 lead at the MEN Arena against The Power', Taylor hit back to go in at the break 3-3.

The Bull' then stretched his lead to 7-3 after the interval before Taylor took the next two legs only for Jenkins to seal the match in the 13th.

The victory over Taylor was in stark contrast to his two previous matches.

Against Adrian Lewis in the opening week, Taylor's protege opened up a 7-0 lead before Jenkins hit back in the following five-legs only for Lewis to claim the win.

Against the in-form Wade, the Aldershot man opened up a 5-1 lead before the Herefordshire player took the game into the final leg only to lose 8-6.

He said: "When you go 7-0 down I don't care who you play there is always a chance that that person is going to win one more. But, against Taylor, I did the opposite of what I have been doing in the other games. When he started to come back I didn't panic because I knew this was my chance."