SUNDERLAND’S comeback king Fraizer Campbell says that becoming a football fan helped him through the dark days of his injury nightmare.
Campbell made a long-awaited comeback from the bench against Middlesbrough to fire home an equaliser to set up a replay at the Riverside, switched to Wednesday, February 8.
It was Campbell’s first dose of first-team action since August 2010 after being sidelined with a knee injury and then with another 10 months ago after recovering from the initial one.
Enough to make anyone depressed, but Campbell sought solace in football by donning a hat and scarf and taking his seat amongst the Sunderland fans. He said: “It was really a bit of therapy for me to see the lads play. Ever since I signed for Sunderland they have been the team that I support and I have been like that wherever I have been.
“I always feel like a fan and I always give 100 per cent both on and off the pitch. They are my mates as well and I always want to see my mates do well.
“That’s why I went to loads of games while I was out. I just wanted to go and show my support.
“I went to stacks of away grounds last year. I remember going to Blackpool with all the away fans. I stood in with them in a stand which was shaking all the time.
“It was brilliant. A great experience just to sit with the real fans of a massive football club. I tried to go disguised, but it didn’t last very long. I tried to cover myself up and wear a hood but it was a pretty warm night and I was sweating, so I was there in a T-shirt and I got noticed very quickly. I didn’t mind at all as the fans were amazing.
“Before I became a professional footballer I used to go to watch football games all the time with my mates because I just loved it.”
Campbell did concede that his time away from the pitch was one of frustration and admitted that he had to overcome a huge battle mentally in order to win his way back to full fitness.
But as he states himself, all of that is consigned to history and Campbell is only looking ahead to the future which hopefully sees him once again cementing his place in the Sunderland first team.
He added: “The most frustrating part when I got injured was the fact I was playing some good football. Hopefully I can get back to where I was over the next few weeks and months.
“It was a long 18 months and yet the staff around the club did help me get through it, even though I found it very tough at times. It has been such a long time so just to get on the pitch was brilliant for me and the score is incredible.
“It has made me a much stronger person now than I was back then. Hopefully I can come back as the same player, if not better.”
