Stuart Campbell (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Stuart Pearson Campbell (born 9 December 1977) is an English
-born Scottish
professional footballer who plays as a midfielder
for Football League Two
side Bristol Rovers
. He has previously played for Leicester City
, Birmingham City
and Grimsby Town
. At international level, he won 15 caps for the Scotland under-21
team.
, Northamptonshire
. As a youth he played for hometown club Corby Town
, before joining Leicester City
, for whom he made his first-team debut in 1996 aged 18. Though manager Martin O'Neill
rated him as an outstanding prospect, he averaged less than ten Premier League appearances a season for Leicester, mostly as a substitute
. In 2000 he was loaned
to First Division
club Birmingham City
, where he played two games before returning to Leicester.
manager Lennie Lawrence
made Campbell his first signing in September 2000, landing the winger on a three-month loan deal which was later extended to a season loan.
After impressing while on loan at Blundell Park
, Campbell was allowed to join Grimsby permanently for a fee of £200,000, where he signed a three-year contract. Campbell played under three different managers at Grimsby, Lennie Lawrence
, Paul Groves and Nicky Law. His six goals in the 2002–03 season
was enough to make him the club's joint top scorer; they were relegated from the First Division
after a five-year stay in the second tier of English football. Campbell's contract expired at the end of the next season
, and with the club again relegated, he decided against an offer to stay with Grimsby.
of Football League Two
. Appointed captain in November 2006, Campbell led Bristol Rovers to the final of the Football League Trophy
and promotion to League One
in the 2006–07 season
. He signed a two-year contract extension in May 2007. Campbell and team-mate Craig Hinton
started studying for coach
ing qualifications in 2008. Campbell then led the team to the quarter finals of the FA Cup
in the 2007–08 season
and became one of the most popular skippers at the club.
Following the dismissal of Dave Penney as manager, Campbell was appointed caretaker manager
of Rovers until the end of the season, with 12 games remaining in which to avoid relegation from League One.
for Scotland at under-21 level
, qualifying through his parents.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional footballer who plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
. He has previously played for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. At international level, he won 15 caps for the Scotland under-21
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
team.
Leicester City
Campbell was born in CorbyCorby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. As a youth he played for hometown club Corby Town
Corby Town F.C.
Corby Town F.C. is an English football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire. They will be members of the Conference North for the 2011–12 season. The Steelmen play their home games at the newly built Steel Park, adjacent to their previous ground, Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium, which is...
, before joining Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, for whom he made his first-team debut in 1996 aged 18. Though manager Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
rated him as an outstanding prospect, he averaged less than ten Premier League appearances a season for Leicester, mostly as a substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
. In 2000 he was loaned
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....
to First Division
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, where he played two games before returning to Leicester.
Grimsby Town
New Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
manager Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
made Campbell his first signing in September 2000, landing the winger on a three-month loan deal which was later extended to a season loan.
After impressing while on loan at Blundell Park
Blundell Park
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
, Campbell was allowed to join Grimsby permanently for a fee of £200,000, where he signed a three-year contract. Campbell played under three different managers at Grimsby, Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
, Paul Groves and Nicky Law. His six goals in the 2002–03 season
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
was enough to make him the club's joint top scorer; they were relegated from the First Division
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
after a five-year stay in the second tier of English football. Campbell's contract expired at the end of the next season
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
, and with the club again relegated, he decided against an offer to stay with Grimsby.
Bristol Rovers
Campbell signed for Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
of Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. Appointed captain in November 2006, Campbell led Bristol Rovers to the final of the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
and promotion to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
in the 2006–07 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
. He signed a two-year contract extension in May 2007. Campbell and team-mate Craig Hinton
Craig Hinton (footballer)
Craig 'Alan' Hinton is an English professional footballer who can play anywhere along the back line...
started studying for coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
ing qualifications in 2008. Campbell then led the team to the quarter finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in the 2007–08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
and became one of the most popular skippers at the club.
Following the dismissal of Dave Penney as manager, Campbell was appointed caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
of Rovers until the end of the season, with 12 games remaining in which to avoid relegation from League One.
International career
Though English-born, he has 15 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Scotland at under-21 level
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
, qualifying through his parents.
Honours
Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
runner up 2007 - Football League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play off winner 20072007 Football League Two play-off FinalThe 2007 Football League Two play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2007, at the end of the 2006–07 season. It was the third League Two play-off final since the Football League's 2004 rebranding, the 21st play-off final in all at the fourth level of English football...