OUT TO IMPRESS
Tyrese Campbell aims for goals at Shrewsbury Town
BEING single-minded is a good attribute for a striker – and Shrewsbury Town hotshot Tyrese Campbell knows exactly what he wants.
He’s the son of former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin, but is determined to make his own way in the game. He won’t be trading off his dad’s name or relying on him to fight his battles.
“He was right footed and I’m left-footed,” said Campbell Jnr to mark out an immediate difference. “I just try and play my game. It’s my career and I have to learn myself. If I need advice, I ask him and he helps.”
The 19-year-old is on a mission to prove himself – and he’s beginning to show he’s up to the task. Two goals for Stoke against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup in mid-January (though the Shrews won 3-2) brought him to public attention, and Shrews manager Sam Ricketts clearly liked what he saw from his ringside seat.
Reward
The ex-Wrexham boss brought the teenager in on loan at the end of January and has been richly rewarded. Heading into yesterday’s game against AFC Wimbledon, Campbell had netted three goals in four games.
Indeed, goals in successive games against Burton, Peterborough and Doncaster made it three goals in his last three games – and helped the Shrews earn seven precious points in their bid to move away from the League One relegation scrap.
“I’m enjoying it,” he said. “It’s great to get that experience of playing in the league, winning and scoring goals. I always believe I can score goals, but you are a bit apprehensive about whether you can do the business until you’ve done it. I hope I can keep it up to the end of the season.”
If he can, then there’s a good chance it will go a long way to preserving Shrewsbury’s third tier status. Pre-weekend, they were 17th, five points above the drop zone.
“It’s a bit weird scoring against them and now for them!” he smiled. “With the squad we have, we should be higher in the league and now we’re showing it. Hopefully we can keep up this form and push higher.
“We’ve got a good manager. He tries to be as honest as he can and looks to find new ways we can improve and move the ball.”
Although he’s only 19, Campbell has never been one to shy away from making big decisions. In 2016, he decided to leave boyhood club Manchester City and move to Stoke, for an initial fee of £750,000 set by a tribunal.
“It was a difficult decision – I’d been there since I was seven and am a City fan, but I was just focused on my career and playing first team football as soon as I could.”
It was probably a shrewd call. City have an embarrassment of riches and it’s so tough for young players to get a chance.
Chance
Campbell made four Premier League appearances for Stoke last term, and featured for them in the Championship and cup competitions this term before making his temporary move to Shrewsbury.
“I wasn’t really expecting to play in the Premier League last season,” he admitted. “It was crazy. The tempo of that league was ten times faster that I’d experienced before. You have to get used to it.”
Right now, though, his focus is completely on Shrewsbury and their relegation battle. Trying to earn a place at Stoke in the future can wait.
He added: “I’m not really too bothered about that now – we’ll see what happens.”