Rotherham snooker pro Ashley Carty wishes for Marcelo Bielsa's magic touch after English Open exit

Rotherham's Carty was knocked out of the English Open in Milton Keynes today after going down 4-1 against Martin O'Donnell.

An avid Leeds United fan away from the table, Carty is enjoying the first of his two guaranteed years on the World Snooker tour after qualifying for his maiden World Championships at the Crucible last season.

Carty was unable to replicate Leeds' stellar start to the season and admits a Bielsa-esque level of analysis may have altered his Marshall Arena fate.

"I think Bielsa's one in a million! He's unique and I wish I could analyse snooker like he could do players - that might help!" said the 25-year-old.

"With snooker every game is different - with football you've got the same formations and players but with snooker, every frame is different and the way the balls are you can never tell.

"I feel great and I'm really enjoying my life on the tour now - I'm still working hard and I've just had a bad day today. Hopefully at the next tournament I can get back to winning ways.

"We both got off to a slow start - we were struggling a lot with the table and with the brand new cloth it was so slidy and a bit hard to adapt at first.

"It was hard after that - I couldn't find my rhythm and get going. But I'll be back on the practice table again for the next tournament.

"The table was absolutely lovely but compared to my practice table where the cloth's been on for a few weeks, but it is quite hard to get used to.

"As players we've got to adapt to that - it's not really an excuse, but it does affect the way you play sometimes."

Carty lost an enthralling first round duel against Stuart Bingham on his Crucible debut, going down 10-7 after a valiant performance on the biggest stage of all.

But he struggled in the first Home Nations Series event of the season as a second-frame break of 85 from O’Donnell dashed his hopes of progression.

Carty remained in upbeat spirits in Milton Keynes, however, having watched his beloved Leeds soar to seven points from their first four games back in the top flight.

Bielsa’s team face Wolves on Monday night and Carty reckons a mid-table finish will mark a job well-done on their Premier League return.

“It’s been an unbelievable start - I didn’t know what to expect when we set off and it was a bit of a rollercoaster season!” he added.

“But they’ve signed a few decent players and the way Bielsa plays I think they will have a good season.

“Even if we finish mid-table it’s still a great achievement. It’s just run through my family - my Dad and my uncle used to have season tickets when Leeds were in the Premiership, so I support them because of that.”

Watch the snooker English Open live on Eurosport, Eurosport app and Quest