The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Get Angus derby live on the telly!’
Ross Campbell has called on Viaplay bosses to “think out of the box” and show the ArbroathMontrose Angus cup derby live on TV.
Local rivals Arbroath and Montrose will face each other for the first time in a competitive match in more than four years after they were drawn together in Group H of the Viaplay Cup.
Tournament organisers are now revising the fixture schedule based on TV clashes.
And Montrose assistant boss Campbell would love them to plump for an Angus derby.
The game is sure to capture the imagination of the fans with the potential to attract 3,000-plus.
It will also pitch brothers Ross and Iain – who is a first-team coach at Montrose – against their dad Dick and uncle Ian on the sidelines.
“I’d love Viaplay to think totally out of the box on this,” said Campbell.
“It would be amazing if they picked up on our game with Arbroath. Why not?
“The Angus derbies are really special games and this offers something quite unique.
“Angus is a brilliant part of the world and the people love their football here.
“They are proud of their clubs and respect their neighbours to the point where I even had some Montrose fans texting me saying they hoped Arbroath stayed up last year.
“But there’s also the rivalry and it will be great to face each other competitively again.
“It’s a fantastic draw. With Forfar in there too we’ve got a mini-Angus cup in the middle of our group.
“There’s also the family element for us.
“It will be great to see my dad and Pink (Ian Campbell) at the game.
“I’d say we’ll be in
opposite dugouts but my dad likes to sit in the stand these days.
“He’ll probably warn me to watch my language before the game and I’ll tell him to mind his Ps & Qs!”
Angus derbies used to be a regular occurrence with the sides flitting between League One and League Two. All four Angus teams were in the same league in 2018-19.
But after Arbroath gained promotion to the Championship and Forfar and Brechin City were subsequently relegated to League Two and the Highland League the sides have been kept apart.
Ironically, Arbroath and Montrose are also due to meet on July 1 for Ricky Little’s testimonial.
Campbell added: “Those days were terrific for Angus football.
“There was a derby on every week. It was good for the locals but not so great for my mileage as a Fifer.
“But these games capture the imagination. The St Mirren one will be great too and if we go to Paisley it will be my first time in their new stadium.
“Cowdenbeath is the closest game I could get to my house, so it’s almost the perfect draw.
“There’s also the competitive edge.
“If you can get through the groups you can make a wee bit of money as the likes of Annan have seen in recent years.”