Shropshire’s top snooker star Adrian Gunnell has vowed to keep fighting as he looks to rediscover his winning touch.

The Telford potter’s latest setback came as he lost 5-2 to China’s Liu Song in the third round of qualifying for the Welsh Open, which starts in Newport on Monday.

Thursday’s setback followed on from his defeat in the qualifying stages of the UK Championship last November.

Gunnell, who is currently No 45 in the provisional world rankings, admits his game is patchy at best right now – but is refusing to throw in the towel.

“It’s a battle at the moment and I won’t make any excuses,” said the 37-year-old.

“It’s not enjoyable but you have to stick at it.

“If you’re only there for the good days you’re wasting your time.

“You’ve got to expect the bad days as well, and it’s how you deal with it when they come along that matters.”

Meanwhile, Gunnell has expressed further reservations at the changes being introduced to the sport by new snooker supremo Barry Hearn.

The Masters at Wembley was noticeable for the dramatic new walk-ons, while WPBSA chairman Hearn has also pledged to introduce new and innovative formats to shake up the game.

“It needs glamming up in some ways, because the game has got boring,” Gunnell admitted.

“But some of the changes being suggested need putting in the bin now – the public will love it as it will be exciting for them, but for the players it’s a joke.

“There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that I’m not really happy about – it’s worrying times to be a snooker player.”