All the talk prior to the season was about how Shaun Murphy would cope with his breakthrough into snooker’s elite. While Murphy has answered his critics, it has been Maguire who has really struggled to adapt to his elevated status among the game's top players.

He lost 5-3 to Michael Judge in the first round at The Grand Prix before the defence of his UK title was ended by Steve Davis. In between, he failed to make any impression on his debut in The Premier League.

Maguire was then humiliated 6-0 by Stephen Lee at Wembley, a result that prompted his Dad to sit him down and make him watch the sorry display on video.

A different attitude was on display in Malta, where he reached the quarter-finals, losing a decider to eventual champion Ken Doherty.

However, the improvement seems to have been a temporary one as the 25-year-old has failed to win a match since and, never having got beyond the first round at the Crucible before, 2005/06 looks like being a season to forget for Stephen Maguire.

Prediction First-round checkout