Well boss Robinson admits he would be lost without goal hero Campbell in side
AS compliments go, Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson’s glowing assessment of Allan Campbell couldn’t have been more generous.
Just minutes after the Fir Park gaffer had banked his first Premiership win of the season, courtesy of the midfielder’s thunderbolt strike, he spoke of a priceless commodity.
Robinson said: “He’s top class and I don’t know how I’d replace him. He epitomises everything we do.
“If everyone was like him life would be very easy.”
It’s fair to say the Northern Irishman’s fondness for the player has been forged throughout three seasons of battling together at the top-flight’s coalface.
The truth of their weekend win over St Johnstone? It wasn’t Campbell’s fourth-minute goal which had Robinson resting easy, it was the toothless attack from an opposition which at no point looked capable of replying.
From the moment the Scotland Under-21 dynamo crashed a low shot from the edge of the box to beat Elliot Parish, the points were in the bag as the men from Perth lacked punch all afternoon despite enjoying the majority of possession.
For Campbell it was the second sweet moment in a week where he’d also rattled home the winning goal for his country on the road in Lithuania.
Last season’s goals haul of six is already a target for the 22-year-old, who also netted earlier this season against Livingston, but when it comes to a number he is aiming to surpass, Campbell’s not for telling.
He said: ‘“I’m definitely trying to improve my goal return. I’m not shy in saying I want to improve myself and score more goals.
“At the start of every season I look to where I can get better. I want to add goals to my game and I’ve got two this week for Scotland and Motherwell.
“It’s great but I will just keep my head down, keep working hard and hopefully I will get more.
“What was the better goal? They both hit the net and that’s all that matters. I was happy with both goals. “What is my goal for the season? I will just keep that to myself. That’s for me to keep in my book. “As long as we are trying to do the right things and get results like today then it’s all fine.
“It has been a good week for me. I know for a fact that while I was away with Scotland the boys were back here working hard to prepare for this game. “Thankfully we put in a good performance and I was lucky enough to pop up with the goal.”
Jamie McCart was far too easily turned by Campbell as the rest of the Saints defence backed off to allow time and space for a low shot to be fired into the bottom corner.
From then on, it was a story of Motherwell allowing St Johnstone to have as much of the ball as they liked in deep areas before pressing like madmen in the areas that mattered.
It did anything but make for an entertaining spectacle but when you are sitting at the foot of the table, the end justified the means on this occasion as the Steelmen pulled level on points with Kilmarnock and Livingston.
Saints have only themselves to blame for taking nothing from the contest after passing up a host of half-chances until Stevie May’s miss of the day when he slashed a shot wide from close range as the clock ticked down towards an inevitable conclusion.
Even Campbell admitted it wasn’t easy on the eye but the three points were all that mattered for a Motherwell side who now travel to Coleraine this week in buoyant mood for a Europa League second-round qualifier.
He said: “It was a bit of a different performance. We didn’t play as nice football as we would probably have liked but we dug deep together and got all three points. In the end that’s the main thing.
“We showed great character throughout the team from back to front.
“We dug in, we won second balls. It was a great team performance and we were happy with the points.
“We were solid and compact. We could have played more football but it’s the result that matters. The three points are the main thing.
“Any time you win you are on a high and this takes us into a big week.
“Any time you play in Europe it is a big deal and it’s going to be a new experience for me. It will be a buzz. We just have to show the same desire, effort and work rate in Europe as we did against Saints.
“We must make sure we keep winning and if we show the same attitude and desire the results will keep coming.”