Dean Campbell 'loving life' at Sixfields after teaming up with old school friend in Northampton's midfield

The 24-year-old, who signed for Cobblers from Barrow back in June, has made an impressively assured start to his first campaign at Sixfields, playing every minute of every league game so far – the only outfield player to do so.

"I'm loving life and I'm really, really enjoying myself," said Campbell this week. "I really like being here and being around the place with the facilities we have. I've enjoyed the games as well and I feel I'm improving each week.

"It was maybe a slow start in the first game but I've really come on and my performances have got better and I'm going to keep working as hard as I can for the team and hopefully I can keep contributing towards good results. There's always room to improve and the more I get used to playing in League One, the more it'll help me, but I'm always listening to the coaches and looking to get better.”

After partnering Tyrese Fornah at the start of the season, Campbell is now playing alongside Terry Taylor in the middle of Town's midfield, but the two needed no introduction to one other when the Charlton loanee returned to Sixfields.

That’s because the pair were midfield partners as teenagers in Aberdeen’s youth system and both came through the SFA Performance School at Hazlehead Academy. They also played for Scotland Under-15s as far back as 2015.

"I think it's very rare that you see something like that," admitted Campbell. "But it's good to play with Terry again and we had to familiarise ourselves with each other because it was a long time ago. We played a lot of football together when we were younger but that was 10 years ago and now we're older and more experienced, but I feel we complement each other well.

"We just have to stay consistent because there are other players who can take our places and that's the good thing about the squad here – there's competition in all areas of the pitch. That brings the standard of training up and it puts pressure on you to perform in games and that's a good place to be."

Elaborating on his relationship with Taylor, Campbell added: "It's a bit different from youth football but I know the type of player he is and the quality he has and that does help. We're building our relationship again and I think we'll only get stronger with every game we play together.

"My game is about getting on the ball and trying to get the team playing, but I also want to bring the energy and physicality you need if you want to play well. That’s something I’ve learned as I've got older. I used to think it was all about looking nice on the ball but it’s important to be that guy who will work hard for the team, make tackles and win second balls and that’s something I focus on.”

Campbell and his team-mates had no game last weekend due to international call-ups, but by no means did their manager let them off lightly.

"We got through a lot of work before a bit of time off with our families," added Campbell. “It was important to maintain our fitness levels and not let our standards slip.

"It was also nice to have some time off over the weekend, especially because the schedule can be so demanding, but we're all back in this week and we feel fit and ready to go for a challenging game at the weekend.

"We went into the break with a momentum so we're in a good place and spirits are high but we need to make sure we get back to the standards we set before the weekend.”