Father’s daze
Ross so glad he’s got real date for restart after dad Dick’s guessing games left his head spinning
ROSS CAMPBELL is relieved to have certainty over a comeback – after weeks of mischievous dad Dick whispering in his ear.
Montrose assistant Ross and his brother turned team-mate Iain, also a player and coach at Links Park, have drawn the short straw these past two months.
While dad Dick and his twin, Ross’ uncle Ian, have spearheaded Arbroath on a run of two defeats in 10 Championship games, the two younger Campbell boys have been left playing wait and see.
A trip to league leaders Falkirk today marks the Gable Endies’ competitive return, with scope to finish the day at the top themselves.
On the family, Ross said: “They are some lot. Apparently they’ve got the inside track, when they really don’t.
“On the one hand they’ve been saying to me, ‘I’ve heard this Ross and I have heard that’. Dad phones and says what he’s hearing about the SFA and I just say, ‘Aye, good dad, thanks’.
“I go and find out the info myself and typically he’s wrong. He’s a football manager and a successful one, he’s not a football administrator. I just tell him to leave that to other people who are good at it.
“They’re a law unto themselves so you just take the twins with a pinch of salt in the family. They get widely praised and lauded, rightly so, they have a remarkable career and are so fun. But it’s pretty difficult being their son or nephew, put it that way – tolerating them! I leave them to it.
“Mike Caird, chairman at Arbroath, will be delighted Montrose are back, I texted him every Saturday for a free code to watch the games. I’ve been watching all the Arbroath home games and then giving my dad and my uncle a debrief, more as a fan.
“Other than when we play each other, we’re each other’s biggest fans.”
And Ross will be on the phone to share insights on Montrose’s first opponents back, given the Red
Lichties face Falkirk in the Scottish Cup in midweek.
Ross had a few sessions joining pal Chris Sellar – who ran 10km every day for 28 days to raise money for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide and Back Onside – to keep ticking over.
He added: “I’m not going to play a lot but I can play in a number of positions. So we have a bit of versatility.”
Bairns right-back Scott Mercer reckons their squad size is more important than their full-time status.
He said: “One of the fittest teams we’ve played this season are Montrose, so we know we can’t just be like, ‘All right, we’re fitter, we’re full-time’.
“We’ve got a squad of 24 now. So we have competition for places everywhere and that only makes you better.”