Jimmy Robertson put in his best-ever Crucible performance at the Betfred World Championships but it still was not enough to reach the second round as he lost 10-8 to Mark Allen.

Bexhill's Robertson lost 10-1 to Mark Selby on his Sheffield debut in 2011, and had to wait four years for a return when he lost 10-6 to Marco Fu.

But he ran 11th-seed Mark Allen all the way in their first round match on Tuesday evening, with neither player able to earn more than a single frame advantage.

And while the 30-year-old was gutted to be heading home so early, he was eager to take the positives from his performances in qualifying and at the Crucible.

"It was a bit of an improvement from the last two times I have been here and there are positives to take from that," he said.

"There are plenty of positives, I felt pretty comfortable out there so hopefully I can kick on next season.

"I am disappointed because I had plenty of chances but fair play to Mark he finished off really well.

"I felt I played the better in the first session to get a 4-2 lead, so to come out behind was a bit gutting.

"I tried not to let that affect me today and he's done well at the end there to finish the match. Because it was so close there was a bit of pressure out there and it was whoever took their chances."

Robertson trailed 5-4 after the first session on Sunday, but after leveling the match, a break of 62 put him in front for the first time in the session.

The game remained nip and tuck throughout though, with both players making regular half-century breaks before Allen broke clear right at the death.

And with his season now over, Robertson was able to reflect on a difficult year with cue in hand, where he has struggled to find his top form.

He said: "I've not had the best of seasons to be honest, I'm quite disappointed but it's nice to finish the season by qualifying for this - it would have been nice to go further obviously.

"I'll have a little break now, chill out for the period I have off and then get back on the practice table for the new season. I'll have three or four weeks off then back to the hard work."

Watch the Snooker World Championship Live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds