Life as a Non-League footballer can sometimes be difficult but striker Michael Campbell is hoping the third time’s a charm as he awaits the start of the new season on Saturday, writes James Barrett-Sterling.
Campbell, who enjoyed a very successful spell with Sutton Common Rovers last season, saw a move to National South outfit Braintree Town eventually scuppered because of logistics.
But he has now re-joined Bostik South promotion hopefuls Carshalton Athletic for a third spell and is itching to get back to firing in goals.
“It’s been an interesting pre-season that’s for sure,” said the 28-year old forward.
“I signed at Braintree and was due to start a friendly away at Bury Town but my work commitments meant I struggled to get there, so the manager and I had to have a difficult chat.
“It was a shame to leave but the first person I called once that fell through was Carshalton manager Peter Adeniyi as, although I had firm interest from Walton Casuals, Carshalton was always my first-choice after Braintree fell through.
“It’s a decent club that likes to play good football and there are still a lot of players here that I knew from my previous spells which is brilliant.”
Campbell hit an impressive 35 goals for Rovers last season as he won a Southern Combination Cup winners medal and several personal end-of-season awards.
And he grabbed 11 goals across his two previous spells as a Robin, a total he is looking forward to adding to.
“I kept tabs on Carshalton’s results last season and felt disappointed for everyone that the club didn’t make the play-offs,” he said.
“There are some unbelievable players in this squad and hopefully I can add to that and help us reach at least a play-off spot come the end of the season.”
Adeniyi also recently added two former Met Police players to his squad with defender Mekhail McLaughlin, who spent a month on loan at Carshalton last season, and midfielder David Opoku joining Campbell within the ranks.
All three appeared during the club’s last pre-season friendly against Dulwich Hamlet last Saturday in which Mickel Miller scored the Robins’ consolation in a 5-1 defeat.
Carshalton Athletic kickstart the new league campaign with a visit to Bostik South new boys Ashford United on Saturday.
Feature image of Michael Campbell courtesy of Ian Gerrard, with thanks
