FROM THE PITCH TO THE PRESS BOX
Posted on: Sun 09 Nov 2008
By Matt Cecil
Monday night's FA Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon will be a step into the unknown for many Wanderers fans as they travel to Kingsmeadow but for the Blues' media assistant Ben Campbell, the match will bring back some fond memories of his last involvement with the non-league side.
The 22-year-old university graduate joined the club in January and risked making instant enemies within the playing squad when he revealed his alter-ego as a Level Five qualified referee, which enables him to officiate in the Spartan South Midlands League.
And in December 2007, Ben was rewarded with his biggest appointment of his short career so far as a referee's assistant for the FA Trophy clash between Maidenhead United and AFC Wimbledon in front of a crowd of 1,157.
"It was the biggest game I've ever been involved in," he recalls. "The officials enjoyed it as much as the players because there was a huge crowd there with about 800 Wimbledon fans making a really good noise and I think the team responded well to the support."
The Wombles' following weren't to be disappointed as goals from Marcus Gayle and Antony Howard gave them a 2-0 victory and a place in the second round of the competition, and Ben was impressed with what he saw from the Wombles team on the day.
"They played some very good football and thoroughly deserved the win," he said. "I remember their number 11, Anthony Finn, being a really tricky player on the wing and it was good to see Marcus Gayle score because he'd played in the Premiership and had stuck with the team when they were re-built by the fans."
Despite the six-day weeks and late nights spent working to programme deadlines in his capacity at Adams Park, Ben still finds the time to officiate on a regular basis and believes he's found the perfect balance between the two roles.
"I love them both the same. For example, last week I'd had a good day at work and went straight to the match that I was refereeing in the evening. It's a great hobby and it helps that my dad's a referee as well because I can ring him up and talk about things if I've had a bad game.
"People ask me how I can enjoy being a ref and I agree that it's a high pressure job but I get so much out of it."
Looking ahead to Monday's big match with the Wombles, Ben is relishing the thought of watching the match from his position in the press box as a commentator for Wanderers World and believes it'll be a superb night of entertainment for everyone watching.
"I think it'll be a great game and it could be really tight," he said. "The Wombles pose a real threat and the atmosphere could really lift them, but they might not be quite as used to it as we are so that could benefit us.
"Wimbledon will try and play football and I think that might help Wycombe thrive because we can counter attack with pace and we've got a good target man in Matt Harrold so I'm confident we can get the win."
Ben will be swapping the linesman's flag for the microphone on Monday night and you can tune in to live and uninterrupted commentary from Kingsmeadow courtesy of the Wanderers World service. Click here for more information about subscribing.
Monday night's FA Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon will be a step into the unknown for many Wanderers fans as they travel to Kingsmeadow but for the Blues' media assistant Ben Campbell, the match will bring back some fond memories of his last involvement with the non-league side.
The 22-year-old university graduate joined the club in January and risked making instant enemies within the playing squad when he revealed his alter-ego as a Level Five qualified referee, which enables him to officiate in the Spartan South Midlands League.
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"They played some very good football and thoroughly deserved the win."
Ben on AFC Wimbledon |
"It was the biggest game I've ever been involved in," he recalls. "The officials enjoyed it as much as the players because there was a huge crowd there with about 800 Wimbledon fans making a really good noise and I think the team responded well to the support."
The Wombles' following weren't to be disappointed as goals from Marcus Gayle and Antony Howard gave them a 2-0 victory and a place in the second round of the competition, and Ben was impressed with what he saw from the Wombles team on the day.
"They played some very good football and thoroughly deserved the win," he said. "I remember their number 11, Anthony Finn, being a really tricky player on the wing and it was good to see Marcus Gayle score because he'd played in the Premiership and had stuck with the team when they were re-built by the fans."
Despite the six-day weeks and late nights spent working to programme deadlines in his capacity at Adams Park, Ben still finds the time to officiate on a regular basis and believes he's found the perfect balance between the two roles.
"I love them both the same. For example, last week I'd had a good day at work and went straight to the match that I was refereeing in the evening. It's a great hobby and it helps that my dad's a referee as well because I can ring him up and talk about things if I've had a bad game.
"People ask me how I can enjoy being a ref and I agree that it's a high pressure job but I get so much out of it."
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Ben hears the views of Peter Taylor after the away win at Rochdale |
Looking ahead to Monday's big match with the Wombles, Ben is relishing the thought of watching the match from his position in the press box as a commentator for Wanderers World and believes it'll be a superb night of entertainment for everyone watching.
"I think it'll be a great game and it could be really tight," he said. "The Wombles pose a real threat and the atmosphere could really lift them, but they might not be quite as used to it as we are so that could benefit us.
"Wimbledon will try and play football and I think that might help Wycombe thrive because we can counter attack with pace and we've got a good target man in Matt Harrold so I'm confident we can get the win."
Ben will be swapping the linesman's flag for the microphone on Monday night and you can tune in to live and uninterrupted commentary from Kingsmeadow courtesy of the Wanderers World service. Click here for more information about subscribing.
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