I’m not scared of Scott Brown ...but he should be afraid of me

LIKE an up-andcoming boxer determined to get a shot at the champ, Allan Campbell can’t wait for another round against Scott Brown.

Forget the idea of being intimidated by the domineering captain of Celtic and Scotland. The only sleep Campbell might have lost is through eager anticipation.

Not all 19-year-olds would feel so bold. Campbell (pictured), though, has harnessed his natural aggression to make a mark on Motherwell’s midfield and earn Scotland Under-21 recognition. Taking a backwards step is not in his make-up.

In that sense, he might remind Brown of a younger version of himself. Campbell readily admits the way the 32-year-old has risen to the top of the game — and stayed there — provides an example to try and follow.

Just don’t expect him to bow and scrape when the two go head-to-head at Parkhead this afternoon, completing a combustible trilogy of fixtures between their clubs.

Campbell was introduced as a substitute in Motherwell’s Betfred Cup final defeat last Sunday before playing the whole 90 minutes of Wednesday evening’s 1-1 Premiership draw at Fir Park.

‘Since I was young, my dad always told me just to go out and do what I do — don’t worry about anyone else,’ said Campbell. ‘That’s what I’ve done. On Wednesday night, I just wanted to go and prove what I could do.

‘It doesn’t bother me. Scott Brown is like any other player. I am not going to show any fear to him because that would be a sign of weakness.

‘I will get stuck in, do what I do and show, off the park, that he should be worrying about me, not me worrying about him.

‘What Scott Brown has done in the game is obviously brilliant.

‘He has won a lot of trophies. Every player wants them and, hopefully, I can win as many as possible in my career.

‘It’s part and parcel of the game to be tackling and getting on the ball. Obviously he is good at that, he has made a career out of it. Hopefully I can emulate that and play to my strengths to get a good career.’

Booked in both previous games against Celtic, academy product Campbell recently signed a new contract with Motherwell until 2021. His ball-winning skills and midfield drive have been an impressive factor in the club’s success under Stephen Robinson.

‘Tackling is part of the game and I’m quite good at it,’ grinned Campbell. ‘My dad always told me not to be scared of the bigger boys and just get stuck in. When you get the ball, keep it and use it to express yourself.

‘That was the message since I started playing football. It’s about no fear, really. That’s the thing about football — you can’t be scared. You have to express yourself and show what you can do. I have never changed.

‘I think you need to look at it that way. If you change, you could start to get a bit nervous and do things you aren’t used to doing. The gaffer here likes me for how I am.’

If the build-up to this afternoon’s game is anything to go by, it won’t be a place for shrinking violets anyway.

Motherwell have voiced grievances at penalties won by Scott Sinclair and Callum McGregor during this past week, prompting Brown to hit back on Thursday.

He insisted the Fir Park club should sort out missilethrowing fans before taking verbal pops at Celtic — and accused Louis Moult of diving to win the freekick that led to Motherwell’s goal in midweek.

So, might there be an extra edge to match three? ‘I hope so,’ insisted Campbell. ‘It’s always good like that. I prefer to have a bit of fire in the belly and the feeling that “Come on, we need to win”. ‘At this club, I think we are like that in every game. Everyone in the dressing room is fired up to get three points before a match and I think it’s shown in the results this season. ‘Celtic will be up for it, too. I’m buzzing now talking about it, so I can’t wait! Hopefully it will be a good game and we come out on top. ‘For me, the experiences of the past week have been class. It’s been great to play in front of that number of people and against the best team in the league. ‘This is the first time I have ever played the same team three times in a week. I think we have played well in the last two, nullified Celtic and shown what we can do. I hope we can get a win this time.’