Kenny Campbell

Kenneth Campbell (6 September 1892 – 28 April 1971) was a Scottish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Liverpool, Partick Thistle, New Brighton, Stoke City and Leicester City. Campbell also played in eight full international matches for Scotland between 1920 and 1922.

Kenny Campbell

Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Campbell
Date of birth	(1892-09-06)6 September 1892
Place of birth	Cambuslang, Scotland
Date of death	28 April 1971(1971-04-28) (aged 78)
Place of death	Macclesfield, England
Playing position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Clyde Vale
1908–1910	Rutherglen Glencairn
1910–1911	Cambuslang Rangers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1911–1920	Liverpool	125	(0)
1919	→ Partick Thistle (guest)	1[1]	(0)
1920–1922	Partick Thistle	76	(0)
1922–1923	New Brighton
1923–1925	Stoke City	35	(0)
1925–1929	Leicester City	79	(0)
1929–1931	New Brighton	55	(0)
Total		295	(0)
National team
1916	→ Scotland (wartime)	1	(0)
1920–1922	Scotland[2]	8	(0)
1921	Scottish League XI[3]	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Liverpool

Born in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Campbell played for local Junior-grade teams Rutherglen Glencairn and Cambuslang Rangers in his early years; he won the Glasgow Junior League with the latter and twice represented Scotland at that level.[4]

Liverpool manager Tom Watson brought him to Anfield in May 1911. In a contemporary interview he credited Donald McKinlay (a childhood acquaintance from his hometown) in assisting him during his early days at the club.[5]

Campbell did not make his debut until 10 February 1912 in a Division One match at Ewood Park, a game that saw the Reds lose to Blackburn Rovers 1–0. Known for having safe hands, the goalkeeper took over from Sam Hardy after Hardy moved to Aston Villa, and proved to be just as secure as Liverpool's last line of defence. He only missed one game during the 1912–13 season, before he was replaced by his young understudy, Elisha Scott.

Campbell did put up a decent fight for the number 1 jersey, playing in all but four games of the 1913–14 campaign, and he was between the sticks for the 1914 FA Cup Final at the Crystal Palace ground on 25 April. The game finished disappointingly for Liverpool, in a 1–0 defeat to Burnley. The match was to be the last to be played at this venue and it was played in front of a reigning monarch for the very first time, George V. Like many footballers of his era, Campbell's career was interrupted for four years due to the First World War, however upon his return to the game in 1919 he found himself once again number 1 for Liverpool. He stayed there until April 1920, when he played what turned out to be his last game for the club.

Later career

Campbell left Liverpool in April 1920, returning to Scotland to play for Partick Thistle for a fee of £1750[6] where he played in the club's underdog victory in the 1921 Scottish Cup – still the only occasion they have won the trophy.[7]

He returned south of the border to New Brighton (primarily for family reasons, as they had remained on Merseyside when he went to Partick)[8] before joining Stoke City in 1923.[9] Campbell was used as second choice 'keeper to Bob Dixon and in his four seasons spent at the Victoria Ground he made 35 appearances.[9] He then spent another four seasons at Leicester City before ending his career with a two-year spell with old club New Brighton.[9]

International career

Campbell was capped eight times by Scotland (four times while at Liverpool and four while at Partick), his debut coming in a British Home Championship match at Ninian Park, Cardiff against Wales in 1920; the game finished in a 1–1 draw.

He had also been selected in an unofficial wartime international in May 1916 (the only game of this nature during the course of the war itself).[10]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[11][12]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool	1911–12	First Division	7	0	0	0	7	0
	1912–13	First Division	37	0	4	0	41	0
	1913–14	First Division	34	0	8	0	42	0
	1914–15	First Division	15	0	0	0	15	0
	1919–20	First Division	32	0	5	0	37	0
	Total		125	0	17	0	142	0
Partick Thistle	1919–20	Scottish Division One	4	0	0	0	4	0
	1920–21	Scottish Division One	38	0	10	0	48	0
	1921–22	Scottish Division One	34	0	5	0	39	0
	Total		76	0	15	0	91	0
Stoke City	1922–23	First Division	8	0	0	0	8	0
	1923–24	Second Division	11	0	0	0	11	0
	1924–25	Second Division	9	0	0	0	9	0
	1925–26	Second Division	7	0	0	0	7	0
	Total		35	0	0	0	35	0
Leicester City	1925–26	First Division	26	0	1	0	27	0
	1926–27	First Division	39	0	1	0	40	0
	1927–28	First Division	6	0	0	0	6	0
	1928–29	First Division	8	0	0	0	8	0
	Total		79	0	2	0	81	0
New Brighton	1929–30	Third Division North	26	0	2	0	28	0
	1930–31	Third Division North	29	0	1	0	30	0
	Total		55	0	3	0	58	0
Career Total			370	0	37	0	407	0

International

Source:[13]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	1920	3	0
	1921	2	0
	1922	3	0
Total		8	0

References

1. "Kenneth Campbell continues his life story – Chapter 9 (Doctor thought I was swinging the lead)". The Weekly News via Partick Thistle History Archive. 9 July 1921. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
2. Ken Campbell at the Scottish Football Association
3. "Scottish League player Kenny Campbell". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
4. "Scotland Junior International Results and Lineups". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
5. "Kenneth Campbell continues his life story – Chapter 2". The Weekly News via PlayUpLiverpool. 14 May 1921. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
6. "A Rough Act to Follow – History of Thistle Keepers (newspaper article, 1992)". Partick Thistle History Archive. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
7. "How Partick Thistle won the Scottish Cup". The Sunday Post via Partick Thistle History Archive. 17 April 1921. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
8. Out Of The Limelight, Fife Press and Kirkcaldy Guardian, 9 September 1922, via Play Up, Liverpool
9. Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
10. "Scotland (wartime) player Kenneth Campbell". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
11. Kenny Campbell at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
12. [A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players], John Litster / Scottish Football Historian magazine, October 2012
13. Campbell, Kenny at National-Football-Teams.com

External links

• Player profile at LFChistory.net