Hartlepool United attacker named in Non-League Paper's National League team of the week
Hartlepool United attacker Adam Campbell has been named in The Non-League Paper's National League team of the week.
The 30-year-old, who has been brought back into the first team fold by interim manager Nicky Featherstone, scored the decisive goal, his second in a week, as Pools beat play-off chasing Halifax to extend their unbeaten run to four matches on Saturday.
Having endured such a difficult time since returning to the North East to sign for Pools, who he played for twice during a fleeting loan spell more than a decade ago, there are signs that the versatile forward, written off by some sections of the fanbase, could be getting back to his best.
Since returning to the side under Featherstone, Campbell has started all of the last four league games, finding the net in Tuesday night's underwhelming draw with strugglers Morecambe before firing home the winner at the weekend.
What's more, the diminutive attacker's recent performances suggest he is getting close to rediscovering the form that made him such a fan favourite at the likes of Gateshead, where his goals helped the Heed to the National League North title, and Crawley, where he was a regular in the side that won an unlikely promotion to League One.
On Saturday, Campbell produced a man of the match performance as Pools overcame a Halifax outfit who have made a strong start to the season under new boss Adam Lakeland. As well as his goal, Campbell impressed both with and without the ball, finding space in and around the Shaymen's back line and causing the hosts all sorts of problems throughout the afternoon.
The forward drew plaudits not just for his much-improved showing but also for his strength of character following a nightmarish start to life at Victoria Park. Having agreed to drop down two divisions to sign for Pools in the summer of 2024 despite being offered a new deal by Crawley, for whom he scored seven times in 32 matches as the West Sussex side won promotion to League One, big things were expected of Campbell and supporters were hoping he might be the man to lead them back to the Football League.
Following a generally positive pre-season, the industrious forward endured a hugely challenging first campaign back in the North East, scoring three times in 40 games. Campbell, whose game is built on his technical prowess, never looked comfortable with Darren Sarll's direct brand of football and found himself shifted out to the left flank before losing his place in the side, later admitting his first few months at Victoria Park had been the most frustrating of his career.
Despite one or two signs of a resurgence under veteran Lennie Lawrence, things didn't get much better from there and Campbell ended the season as a bit-part player. Amongst the lowest moments of a miserable season came towards the end of February's goalless draw with strugglers Maidenhead when Campbell appeared to be booed by his own fans as he was substituted following yet another difficult afternoon.
While the forward might have hoped to use the summer as a chance to reset and the coming of the new campaign as an opportunity to bounce back, Campbell found himself out of favour under new manager Simon Grayson, making just two substitute appearances and often being omitted from the matchday squad altogether.
Indeed, last month's 3-3 draw with Sutton was Campbell's first National League appearance since August and his first Pools start since March. While it has taken, understandably, a couple of weeks for the frontman to get up to speed, Saturday's superb showing was a reminder of what he can do and fans - and, indeed, interim boss Featherstone - will surely be hoping he can continue his fine form and establish himself as an integral part of the Pools side moving forward.