On This Day | City secure Play-Off glory – May 25th 2003
On this day in 2003, striker andy campbell’s moment of magic promoted the club to the First Division.
Born in Middlesbrough on April 18th, 1979, Campbell made his senior debut for his boyhood club aged 16 on April 5th, 1996, coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Having grown up as a youth player for his local club, Campbell remembers his time at Boro fondly:
“It was a dream come true playing for Middlesbrough. It doesn’t get much better than being able to do that as a 16-year-old who has just left school. To do that was the best thing in the world.”
Following relegation from the Premier league at the end of the 1996-97 season, Campbell was a part of the side that earned immediate promotion back to the top flight, and in subsequent seasons went on loan to both Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers before joining Cardiff City on a loan spell in South Wales.
Andy scored seven goals in ten matches for the Bluebirds between March and May 2002, getting a perfect start as he bagged the winner on his debut against Northampton. His first impressions of the club were positive, as he went about impressing City supporters with his goalscoring ability.
“The fans were great, the players were excellent and I just seemed to hit the ground running, really.”
Campbell signed for City on a permanent basis before the beginning of the 2002/03 season, as the club went about earning promotion to the First Division. Despite moving to South Wales from North Yorkshire, he found himself surrounded by familiar faces.
“I signed for City when [former Boro manager] Lennie Lawrence was manager. He’d just taken over at the club and I knew him from my Middlesbrough days.
“I think it was just a matter of seeing if we fitted each other’s bill and as it turned out they suited me and I suited them. It was great, from the minute that I walked through the door everyone was welcoming.
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