In his own words, Shaun Murphy has not enjoyed the best start to a season, but is confident he can make an impact at the upcoming UK Championship.

The 2005 world champion’s latest setback was a 4-2 reverse at the hands of Sam Baird in the opening round of the Northern Ireland Open.

And while the 36-year-old knows what it’s like to win – he secured UK glory in 2008 and The Masters in 2015, he is looking forward to getting back into a good run of form with the competition set to begin on November 27.

“It’s been a bad start to the season for me – this year when I go to the UK championships, obviously in the distant part of my mind I’m thinking about maybe doing well there and winning it, but it would be nice to string a few wins together and get a bit of time on the table,” he said.

“It certainly took me a lot longer to win a second major championship than I thought it would do having won the worlds in 2005, to wait until the end of 2008 to win the UK – it felt longer than it should have been and it was even longer to go on and complete the triple crown.

“You’ve got to enjoy these moments when they come along and you’re not always in charge of your own destiny.

“It was a great thrill to win it and I’ve been close a couple of times since and it would be lovely to go that one step further.”

Watch the Northern Ireland Open live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with analysis from Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds