Home   Dartford   Sport   Article

Kristian Campbell's effectiveness in defence and attack leaves Dartford player on the spot when it comes to picking his favourite position

Dartford’s Kristian Campbell doesn’t know whether to stick or twist this season.

The 28-year-old left-back has underlined his versatility having already been utilised on the right wing by Darts boss Alan Dowson.

Kristian Campbell is just as effective going forward as he is at the back. Picture: Keith Gillard
Kristian Campbell is just as effective going forward as he is at the back. Picture: Keith Gillard

So which one does he prefer?

“That’s a tough one,” responded Campbell. “I have thought about it.

“There’s things I love in both, I actually love defending, whether it’s one-on-one, blocking crosses or going up for headers.

“But then on the flip side, I love being right-wing, running behind people or coming short to get it but the main thing I like is getting one-on-one with people and then having an end product, whether that’s a shot, a cross or a goal.

“It’s hard to pick. I’ve no idea, I genuinely have no idea which one I’d rather but if I had to say one it would be right-wing.

“It’s only this year I have started playing right-wing, I tried it once or twice at Welling but this is the first time I’ve played that side.

"It’s a bit easier to get the ball out of your feet and cut inside.”

Playing further forward is not alien to Campbell - the former Eastbourne, Tonbridge and Welling man has done it at pretty much every club he’s played for.

“I’m a left-back but every manager I’ve had since I was about 19 has tried to put me as a winger,” explained Campbell.

“Left-back is my normal position, I’ve played there for over 10 years, but If every manager is trying to push me higher then they must see something that they like in my qualities going forward.

“I’ve had a talk with a few of the staff members at Dartford about playing there. They’ve seen me in a few pre-season games and I said I love running at people, I love getting on the half-turn and going at people.

“It’s something they’ve had a look at and it’s something they may do more regularly depending on how the season goes.”

Campbell returned to the Dartford team with a man-of-the-match display in last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Worthing, having aggravated a shoulder problem at Bath on the opening day of the campaign.

“It was a shoulder injury, I woke up around February time with a frozen shoulder and then in the Bath game someone come through on it and separated it quite a bit,” he said.

“I had an X-ray and was out for a few games, I’ve just been doing some strengthening work and then got the all-clear to play.”

Campbell’s an experienced campaigner at National League South level so he’s not one to be alarmed by Dartford’s indifferent start to the season.

The players are still finding their feet under Dowson and have won three and lost three in their opening six games.

“I feel quite confident and settled,” said Campbell. “I know what the league’s about and that’s why we weren’t panicked by losing three games in a row.

“I’ve seen it so many times before, you lose three games and it looks like you’re defeated but you can easily win three games and you’re back on top and build some momentum.

“It’s too early to be worried about results. We know we’ve got things we need to improve on, we’ve given away cheap goals, but if we get that right then we’ll be flying again.

“All the boys are good enough at this level. We’ve got enough quality to have a repeat of last year and get into the play-offs but we need to improve to get there.”

As for the bigger picture, Campbell is optimistic Dartford will have a successful season regardless of which position he ends up occupying most.

“I’d like to get some goals and assists, and clean sheets if I am at the back,” he added.

“I’ve got personal goals as a left-back and some as a right-winger but as a team we want to get out of this league and get promoted.

“That will always be my main aim. This club has everything in place so that’s a realistic target.

"I felt we were unlucky last year to drop points and that led us to play that extra game.”

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More