Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Allen set-up UK Championship final

Should O'Sullivan lift the trophy in York, he will surpass Steve Davis as the most successful player in the history of the event with seven titles, and he'll be odds-on to do precisely that against Mark Allen, who edged out Stuart Bingham 6-5.

It will be O'Sullivan's eighth final in the first of snooker's Triple Crown events, some 25 years on from his first. And, while Allen represents a step up in grade on his opponents so far, it remains to be seen whether that will alter the outcome.

So far, only former world champion Ken Doherty has laid a glove on O'Sullivan, who had to fight back from 4-1 down to beat him 6-5 in the earlier rounds.

Ford's hopes of a similar performance looked encouraging when he took the first frame, but a 122 break from O'Sullivan in the second quickly remedied that and he was largely untroubled thereafter.

Breaks of 71 and 51 suggest that he did not need to be at his peak to beat an opponent who had upset the odds to make it this far and found a one-table showdown with the world's best player too daunting a prospect.

"I’m pleased to be in the final,” said 43-year-old O’Sullivan. "Tom missed a few balls, that’s what happens in big matches.

"Whenever I have got to a semi-final and played the likes of Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Mark Williams it’s not easy. I like to consider myself in that bracket so maybe my opponents are feeling what I feel in those situations.

"It’s great that I can keep performing for the crowd because they are willing me on. The fans know I have a big heart for them. I try to play with a smile on my face and if I play a decent match it might brighten up someone’s day.

"York is a fantastic place, even when you are not playing you can walk around the streets and there are lovely coffee bars. It’s a beautiful place to spend ten days. This is where you want to be playing tournaments, in great cities like this. We’re lucky to have such a great venue for a great tournament."

Allen trailed 4-2 after a 132 break from Bingham, but crucially edged a tight seventh frame before adding two more to move within one of the final.

Former world champion Bingham fought back to dominate the 10th frame and force a decider but Allen, who had edged past Neil Robertson in similar fashion earlier in the week, dug deep to reach his second UK final.

Sunday's showdown is the first and only match of the tournament to be played across two sessions and 19 frames. It begins at 1300 GMT.

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