This season has seen Morton striker, Archie Campbell, enjoy the best times of his career as well as the worst and he is now determined that his up and down campaign will end on a high.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a fantastic spell from August to October where he was playing regularly and finding the net at a constant rate with recognition following as he explained: “I won the IRN-BRU SFL Young Player of the Month Award for September and then followed that up the next month with the IRN-BRU SFL Player of the Month Award.
“That was terrific but I then picked up a groin injury that really held me back and I hardly played in November, December and January.”
Campbell added: “The period at the start of the season that earned me the awards was the best spell of my career as I was scoring and was also playing the best football of my career. I scored 11 times in eight games and grabbed my first ever hat-trick when we beat Dumbarton so everything was going really well.
“The injury could not have come at a worse time.”
In Campbell’s absence, the Greenock side edged themselves up the way from third place to second with a 2-1 Boxing Day win at Firhill against Partick Thistle and then they moved to the summit of the First Division with a 4-2 home success over Dunfermline Athletic.
That success had positives and negatives as Campbell explained: “One good thing that continued in my absence was that the team was still up there in terms of going for promotion and that was a real boost.
“Mind you, in some ways it was not so great.”
Campbell explained the downside saying: “It was really gutting to see the team doing so well and not be part of it. I was happy for all the guys but I felt a bit out of it as I was not playing. Thankfully, I am back now and any goals that I score will have even more importance as we are at a really crucial part of the season.
“I have been back available for four games and had substitute appearances against Dunfermline and then Hamilton before I started in the 2-0 win over Falkirk at Cappielow. We played really well that day and it was great to get the opening goal just before half-time.”
The striker kept his place and Morton won again last weekend with Campbell saying: “We followed the Falkirk win up with a 3-0 win at Dumbarton and it was great to start that game as well. Michael Tidser scored an absolute ‘worldy’ with a shot from distance to get us in front in that game with about half an hour played and then Martin Hardie added another before half-time. Peter MacDonald scored the third goal just before the end.
“I was delighted for Michael as he has got that shooting ability in his locker and he has shown a few times this season what he can do from distance. He is a great lad but he had a tough time last season and came in for a bit of criticism however, this season he has kept his critics very quiet.”
Campbell added: “Michael is into double figures for goals now and that takes a bit of pressure off the strikers. Everyone at Morton is hoping that his fine form will continue.”
Campbell and Tidser are part of only a handful of players that Manager Allan Moore kept when he re-shaped his pool last summer after two seasons of frustration at the Tail o’ the Bank.
Campbell said: “I left Rangers and signed on for Morton in the summer of 2011 and the squad I joined has changed quite a bit since then. Last season was a disappointment for everyone as we finished in eighth place and for me, it was disappointing as I only scored six times. The Manager brought in some very good and very experienced players during the summer.
“They have helped us have a better season this time and they have all helped me have a better season. The changes the boss made have been good and hopefully, they will lead us to promotion.”
Former Rangers and St. Johnstone striker MacDonald, who signed in the same summer as Campbell, is another that retained his place in Moore’s changed around squad and Campbell has been pleased with that.
He explained: “Peter has so much experience that you cannot fail to learn from him. He has been in the game a long time and playing with him makes me a better player. I am actually quite fortunate as we have other good and experienced strikers here in Colin McMenamin and Peter Weatherson.
“You have to play well to keep your place and that brings out the best in everyone.”
Despite competition for places, recent signing from Ross County, McMenamin, showed a great team ethic in last Saturday’s win at the Bet Butler Stadium. Shortly after coming on as a substitute, he passed up the opportunity of turning a cross from Thomas O’Ware goalward and headed the ball back to MacDonald who had a simple tap-in to make it 3-0.
Campbell commented: “It is all about the team getting good results and not about individuals. Everyone recognised after the game what Colin had done but that is what we are about. It is about team success and not individual glory although I should have maybe had a shot in the first half when the game was goalless as opposed to trying to square the ball to Peter.
“In the end, we got the right result and the win kept us at the top of the table.”
Campbell is playing in his native Fife this weekend when he faces a Cowdenbeath side that he had a short spell with two years ago on loan from his first club Rangers.
It is a period that Campbell looks back on with mixed emotions saying: “It was my first real taste of senior football and I scored seven goals for them. I got one on my debut against Ross County to get us a 1-1 draw and that got me settled in really quickly.
“I come from Dunfermline so travelling to play was great and my time there stood me in good stead for joining Morton. I will always be grateful to them for the introduction they gave me to football and for the most part, it was fantastic but it was to end disappointingly.”
He explained: “Cowdenbeath were actually relegated at the end of the season after losing to Brechin City in the Play-Offs. They have done tremendously well this season after winning the Second Division Championship and could stay up without the need for any Play-Offs.
“I want to beat them on Saturday and then wish them well to stay up in their remaining games.”
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