Heed glory is bitter sweet for Campbell
GATESHEAD striker Adam Campbell admits he was ‘gutted’ at missing out on the Heed’s day of glory at Chorley on Monday.
Mike Williamson’s men clinched the Vanarama National League North title with a 2-2 draw in Lancashire - and with it promotion.
Campbell had finished the season strongly with goals and assists and has been an integral part in Gateshead’s success.
However, a knee injury sustained late on in Saturday’s win over Southport left the former Newcastle man with a watching brief at Victory Park.
While his injury is not long-term Saturday’s final game at home to Hereford is likely to come too soon.
That is the day Gateshead will be presented with the National League North Trophy in front of what is expected to be a large crowd.
Campbell said: “If we still needed points to clinch the title I would probably play against Hereford.
“I want to but the physio does not think it would be worth the risk, so it looks like I will be watching from the sidelines again.
“It is frustrating missing out at the death but that is football.
“It has been a great season and to win the league is a great achievement.”
Campbell made more than a century of appearances in the Football League and joined the Gateshead revolution last summer.
He has contributed 14 goals and plenty of assists in a Gateshead side which has scored 114 goals this season with one game left.
The 27-year-old is frustrated he will not have the chance to better his previous best goalscoring season, 16 with Darlington in 2019/20.
Campbell added: “Everyone wants to score goals and I am no different and the other three strikers scoring goals took the pressure off me.
“At the business end of the season the pressure was on but we backed ourselves to play our game and it has paid off.
“We have given everything this season and that is all you can ask for.”
The Tynesiders go into their final game needing three goals to hit the magical figure of 100 in the league.
Campbell insisted: “If we play as we can, and have done in the past, we can hurt any team and it would be really nice if we could get to 10 goals.
“We also had 100 points in our sight to be honest, but the main aim was to win the league and we have done that.”
Campbell believes the group of players and the attractive and attacking style of football at Gateshead has made it a memorable season.
He went on: “It is not just the way we play - everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing and that is down to the structure we have been given.
“It has been the most enjoyable season I have had in football since I left Newcastle in 2015.
“I just wish I had been at this stage of my career seven years ago.
“If I had had Mike Williamson as manager back then I would have enjoyed my career a lot more.”
Campbell recently signed a new two-year contract and is delighted both he and Gateshead will be playing Conference Premier football next season.
He said: “It is the least the club deserves and the people who have put in the hard work and have been fighting for years deserve.
“That is a big factor in what the lads are feeling in the changing room and we were all desperate to give them something.
“If the coaching staff stay I am confident we will adapt to the higher level - we have shown that against Altrincham and Charltom in the FA Cup - and there is no reason why we cannot make the step up.”