Raymond van Barneveld has admitted that he is "proud" to have reached the semi-finals of the PDC World Championship once again.

The Dutchman edged out Stephen Bunting 5-4 in a thrilling battle at Alexandra Palace last night to set up a meeting with Phil Taylor in the final four.

Despite showing great pride in reaching this stage of the showpiece competition, Barney has warned his long-standing rival that he is not there to make up the numbers.

"I'm so proud to be back in the semi-finals again," he told PDC.tv. "It was so good out there - Stephen played so well and the crowd were amazing.

"Stephen kept on coming at me all the time, and he showed what a great player he is. He's going to be around for a long time and he can only get better.

"I'll be fighting for my life in the semi-finals. I'm not afraid and I like to play Phil; he's amazing and you know what you have to do to beat him."

Van Barneveld was knocked out of the competition at this stage by Taylor two years ago.