1. Overview
Adam Campbell, born on January 1, 1995, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Hartlepool United. A product of the renowned Wallsend Boys Club, Campbell began his senior career at Newcastle United, making his professional debut at a young age in the UEFA Europa League. His career has seen him play across various levels of English and Scottish football, including the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, Football League, and National League North. He has also represented England at the under-16, under-17, and under-19 levels. Over his career, he has achieved team honors such as winning the National League North title and securing promotion to League One with Crawley Town.
2. Early life and youth career
Adam Campbell was born in North Shields, England. He attended St Bernadette's R.C Primary School in Wallsend and later St Thomas More R.C High School in North Shields from 2006 to 2011. Campbell developed his early football skills at the esteemed Wallsend Boys Club, known for producing many professional footballers. During his youth career, Campbell garnered significant recognition for his talent. In 2010, he received the Most Valuable Player award at the Nike Cup, held at Old Trafford. Two years later, in 2012, he was further honored as the Premier Player of the Tournament at the prestigious Milk Cup.
3. Club career
Adam Campbell's professional club career began with his debut at Newcastle United and continued through several loan spells and permanent transfers to various clubs across England and Scotland, culminating in his return to Hartlepool United.
3.1. Newcastle United
Campbell made his competitive debut for Newcastle United on August 23, 2012, in a UEFA Europa League match against Atromitos. At just 17 years and 236 days old, he became the youngest player ever to represent Newcastle in European competition. On March 10, 2013, he made his Premier League debut, coming on as a substitute on the left wing in a 2-1 victory against Stoke City. During this match, Campbell played a role in the winning goal, making a pass to Sylvain Marveaux, who then assisted Papiss Cissé.
3.1.1. Loan spells
In August 2013, Campbell showcased his scoring ability for Newcastle in a pre-season friendly against Gateshead, netting both goals in a 2-1 win. Shortly after, on August 15, he joined Carlisle United on a one-month loan. He debuted two days later as a half-time substitute in a 4-0 loss to Coventry City before being recalled by Newcastle later that month.
On January 1, 2014, Campbell moved to Scottish Premiership club St Mirren on a loan deal until the end of the season. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut the following day in a 2-1 away defeat to Kilmarnock. His loan spell at St Mirren concluded with 12 appearances and two goals.
Campbell's next loan move came on August 7, 2014, when he joined League One club Fleetwood Town for a month. He featured in four matches for the club but did not score. On November 21, he was loaned to League Two club Hartlepool United for a month, making two league appearances without finding the net.
His final loan spell from Newcastle was to Gateshead, where he signed on a 28-day youth loan on January 16, 2015, alongside Callum Roberts. Just two days later, he marked his debut with both goals in a 2-0 victory over Nuneaton Town.
3.2. Notts County
In July 2015, Adam Campbell signed for Notts County. He became a regular player for the club during his tenure.
3.3. Morecambe
Adam Campbell joined Morecambe in June 2017. He scored his first goal for the club on December 16, 2017, in a 2-1 loss away to Barnet. On August 3, 2018, Campbell returned to Carlisle United for a second loan spell, remaining there until January. Following the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, Campbell was released by Morecambe.
3.4. Non-league football
After his departure from Morecambe, Campbell entered non-league football. On July 3, 2019, he signed for National League North club Darlington. During his first season with the club, 2019-20, he emerged as their top scorer, netting 16 goals, with 15 of them coming in league competition. He continued to play and score regularly in the 2020-21 season before the National League North was ultimately abandoned due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Campbell departed Darlington at the end of that season.
On May 5, 2021, Campbell rejoined Gateshead for his second spell with the club. He was a key member of the Gateshead squad that clinched the National League North title in the 2021-22 season, contributing 12 goals in 40 league appearances. The following season, Campbell played in the 2023 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, where Gateshead were defeated by FC Halifax Town.
3.5. Crawley Town
On August 5, 2023, Campbell made his return to the EFL, signing with League Two club Crawley Town for an undisclosed transfer fee. He played an instrumental role in Crawley's successful promotion-winning season, even making an appearance in the 2024 EFL League Two play-off final victory against Crewe Alexandra at Wembley. Following their promotion at the end of the 2023-24 season, Campbell was offered a new contract by Crawley Town. However, on June 24, 2024, the club confirmed that Campbell would be departing upon the expiration of his existing contract.
3.6. Hartlepool United (Second spell)
On June 24, 2024, Adam Campbell agreed to rejoin Hartlepool United, signing with the National League side. He made his first appearance in his second spell for Hartlepool in a 1-0 victory against Yeovil Town on the opening day of the 2024-25 season. On October 12, Campbell scored his first goal for Hartlepool in his 12th match, a 1-1 draw against Brackley Town in an FA Cup fourth qualifying round match. Following this goal, Campbell openly admitted that his time at Hartlepool had been "probably the most frustrating four months" of his professional career, citing limited game time as a significant factor.
4. International career
Adam Campbell has represented England at various youth levels. He earned his sole cap for the under-16 team on March 23, 2011, in a Victory Shield match against Northern Ireland. In February 2012, he was part of the under-17 team that competed in the Algarve Tournament in Portugal, where he scored one goal in three appearances. Campbell made his debut for the under-19 team on March 21, 2013, coming on as a 55th-minute substitute in a friendly match against Turkey.
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United | 2012-13 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013-14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2013-14 | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| St Mirren (loan) | 2013-14 | Scottish Premiership | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 12 | 2 | |
| Fleetwood Town (loan) | 2014-15 | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2014-15 | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Gateshead (loan) | 2014-15 | Conference Premier | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Notts County | 2015-16 | League Two | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 4 |
| 2016-17 | League Two | 29 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 8 | |
| Total | 73 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 85 | 12 | ||
| Morecambe | 2017-18 | League Two | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2018-19 | League Two | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Carlisle United (loan) | 2018-19 | League Two | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Darlington | 2019-20 | National League North | 33 | 15 | 5 | 1 | - | 4 | 0 | 42 | 16 | |
| 2020-21 | National League North | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | 5 | 0 | 19 | 6 | ||
| Total | 43 | 19 | 9 | 3 | - | 9 | 0 | 61 | 22 | |||
| Gateshead | 2021-22 | National League North | 40 | 12 | 7 | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | 48 | 14 | |
| 2022-23 | National League | 43 | 13 | 3 | 2 | - | 6 | 1 | 52 | 16 | ||
| Total | 83 | 25 | 10 | 4 | - | 7 | 1 | 100 | 30 | |||
| Crawley Town | 2023-24 | League Two | 42 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 7 |
| Hartlepool United | 2024-25 | National League | 30 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 |
| Career total | 336 | 67 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 3 | 408 | 81 | ||
6. Honours
Gateshead
- National League North: 2021-22
- FA Trophy runner-up: 2022-23
Crawley Town
- EFL League Two play-offs: 2024