Gone but never forgotten: Thank you Super Kevin Campbell 

Loyal Arsenal supporter Stephen Beech pays tribute to the late Kevin Campbell 

I heard the news like most of us earlier this summer, and like most of us thought: ‘it can’t be true’ ‘there must be some mistake’ – how could this fit, young-ish, effervescent larger than life character have died.

I checked more than once and although there were not a lot of details it was true, Super Kev had joined the eternal team above. Inevitably thoughts turned to memories and I would like to share a couple.

Although the first team was my main focus I always checked the matchday programme to find out about the reserves  and saw this name Kevin Campbell. Didn’t know much about him, but saw that he was doing well and scoring for the youth team.

When Arsenal played away, and if I couldn’t go and as I lived nearby, I used to go and see Leyton Orient.

Time passed and in 1989 Leyton Orient signed this young Arsenal striker on loan and he was Kevin Campbell.

My ‘Orient’ mates said 'he won’t do anything here, he’ll get kicked off the park playing against lower division hard men.'

And as it happened it was ‘men against boys’ - but Kevin was the man, the main man.

He rampaged through defences seemingly at will scoring lots of goals (I had to check and it was nine in only 16 games).

He had a great physique and was fast, direct and also held the ball up and linked play well intelligently for such a young player.

He was (as you can imagine) very popular with the O’s fans before he returned to the Arsenal.

My other memory is not of a special goal or match but of Kevin always seeming to play with a big smile on his face, never shirking a challenge, doing his best for us – the fans and seeming to be one of us.

Linking up with Wrighty, Smudger or The Magic Man and for those halcyon days being so special to watch and enjoying it himself immensely.

Gone but never forgotten.

Thank you Super Kev, Super Kevin Campbell

Stephen Beech for the Gooner Fanzine