Ali Carter refused to hold back in the scathing criticism of both he and opponent Chen Zhe despite easing into the Dafabet Northern Ireland Open second round.

The Colchester cueman was shades away from his best in Belfast, but still did comfortably enough to beat his Chinese opposition 4-0 in the Waterfront Hall.

It therefore provided a bittersweet morning for the Captain, the most surprised man in the whole city to see his name in the second round, where Xiao Guodong awaits.

“I didn’t play all that well, I didn’t have that much to beat but I’ve still managed to win 4-0,” he said.

“You look around at some of the players, it’s difficult but I shouldn’t be winning 4-0 when I’m playing like that.

“It’s difficult, it’s been one tournament after another in recent weeks and making two trips to China takes its toll.

“But you never know when it’s your week, I’ve been to tournaments where I’ve not really wanted to be there and struggled and I’ve ended up winning the whole thing.

“It’s a funny game, you’ve just got to try and get a couple of matches under your belt and win a little bit and see if you can take advantage of that.”

The scoreline may suggest otherwise, but things were far from going Carter’s way – even before he arrived for his morning contest.

Playing his way into the match, big breaks were not to be part of the four-time ranking winners’ repertoire, only getting his first half-century of the match in the last frame.

Yet with his name still in the draw, there is a chance for Carter to get better as the week goes on, or at the very least get a decent night’s sleep under his belt.

“I’m trying this new chalk for the first time but the jury is out for me, I’ve been plum in the balls and on 50-odd and miscued when going for the match so that’s frustrating,” he added.

“When you start miscuing, it starts getting in the back of your head, so I might be reassessing that particular plan.

“I’ll check back into my hotel and hopefully I can have a better night’s sleep – the bed last night was a disgrace!”

Watch the Northern Ireland Open LIVE on Eurosport, Eurosport Player and Quest with Colin Murray and daily studio analysis with Neal Foulds