Basildon's Stuart Bingham refuses to entertain thoughts that facing fading six-times world champion Steve Davis in the first round is a good World Championship draw for him.

Bingham makes his first appearance for six years in the final stages at the spiritual home of the game, Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, on Monday.

After a great career spanning three decades, Davis has shown signs of slipping out of the spotlight this season and has fallen to 27th in the unofficial rahkings, five places below Bingham.

The new towner has never lost to the golden nugget in tournament play, but knows that the Romford man could still be a dangerous opponent in Monday's best of 19 frames affair.

"Steve may no longer put together the match-winning breaks he did in his heyday with him now often breaking down in the 40s and 50s," said Bingham.

"But his safety game is still second to none. I grew up with Steve as my idol and some of the positions he can get out of and put opponents into are unbelievable.

"My manager Gary Purkiss has worked it out that I'd need to beat Steve and win my next match, against either former world champ Graeme Dott or Joe Perry, to have a chance of making the end of season top 16 - and even then I'd need other results to go right.

"I'd love to make the top 16 for the first time. I feel my game's in good shape to have a good run at the Crucible; it's a great intimate venue and I love it there.

"But you just don't know. The days when one player dominates things for decades - as Steve did in the 80s and Stephen Hendry in the 90s - are long gone.

"There's so many potential winners now. I'm just pleased to be back in the finals after such a long break."

On his first Crucible appearance in 2000, Bingham shocked the snooker world by dumping reigning champ Hendry in the opening round.

Two years later he was heading for a £167,000 cash bonus for a 147 maximum break when he missed the final pink.

That miss has been a monkey on the back of the likeable new towner for six years, but one he hopes to escape over the next fortnight.

His first session starts at 10am and he admits: "I hate early starts. I don't sleep that well before matches and I'll probably be up at 5am.

"Still, with the final session in the evening, I'll be able to catch up with an afternoon nap."

The championship is being fully covered by BBC Television and Eurosport with the final due on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5.