By Shaun Casey

FAN favourite Stefan Campbell is one of those players that makes things happen when he gets the ball. Once his hands capture possession, a burst of energy instantly ripples throughout the crowd.

Chalked down as the ultimate super sub, Campbell has had to develop a thick skin to appreciate the role. While everyone wants to wear a jersey numbered 1-15, ‘Soupy’ knows the impact he can have from the bench could be the difference between winning and losing.

It’s been clear to see right throughout the season. Campbell is Armagh’s fourth highest scorer across league and championship and has kicked 0-5 from the bench across Armagh’s last three outings.

It’s a duty that has been in the development process for a couple of years and one that Campbell is well used to at this stage.

“You could probably go back to 2019, that was the first time that I was told that I was going to be held back,” recalled the Clan na Gael man.

“It’s nothing new to me. There’s a case of me knowing how to handle that as well, there’s a lot of trust in the management. Every footballer is almost fixated on starting and everything that comes with it, the build-up, the programmes, the parades.”

Campbell believes the strength of Armagh’s squad has helped take the pressure off him to be the game winner.

“I think there’s a lot of trust there and there’s not as much pressure on me now, which is probably benefiting me more because we have the depth,” he added.

“When you have Ross (McQuillan) performing, Jarly Óg (Burns), Oisin O’Neill, Shane McPartlan, Aidan Nugent, Jason Duffy, Darragh McMullen, all these boys pushing, it takes a lot of pressure off.

“In previous years, I probably would have felt a wee bit more pressure to get us over the line, but I know now that I’m not on my own. We know our own game inside out and there’s a lot of patterns of play, a lot of fresh legs.

“Our minds are working overtime to try and do the best for the team, to help get us over the line. It’s not my first year as the impact sub, it’s been going on a few years now and I do thrive on the pressure that comes with coming in to get us over the line.”

There was no doubt in the Armagh changing room that they would get over Kerry but believing it and actually doing it are two completely different things.

“There were a mix of emotions,” said Campbell on the semi-final win.

“It was just how we got over the line and going through extra-time again and the sheer elation post-game and then it hit home on Sunday morning.

“Even though we probably knew if we performed, we were going to win the game, it was just a different feeling waking up that Sunday morning and realising that we’d finally done it.

“We’ve got an All-Ireland final now, even though we expected to get there, but it was class. There was some buzz on the way down the road, there wasn’t much sleep, just with the adrenaline. It was a great few days, but the reset button was hit on the Monday.”

The huge Orchard following has rightly picked up plenty of plaudits down through the years and Jack O’Connor even referenced it in his post-match interview following Kerry’s semi-final loss.

The atmosphere at Croke Park was something to savour and it’s a feeling that Campbell will keep with him forever.

“In terms of that atmosphere, the only real one that I could compare it to would be the 2022 quarter-final (against Galway),” he said.

“Obviously, we came out on the wrong side, but even if we didn’t pull through against Kerry, that blew it out of the water, the atmosphere was insane.

“When Barry’s (McCambridge) goal went in, and Turbo’s (Conor Turbitt) score just to wrap it up, the noise was absolutely insane. It’s a credit to every fan that drove down the road and created that noise because it was pretty special, and it won’t leave us for a long time.”

Campbell will join a long list of Clan na Gael players to represent the Orchard County in the All-Ireland final. Brian Seeley, Eamon McMahon (1953), Jimmy Smyth, Jim McKerr and Colm McKinstry (1977) all suffered defeats on the biggest day.

Campbell is keen to join the exclusive club of Diarmaid Marsden and Barry O’Hagan and go back to Clans with a winner’s medal.

“It’s a privilege, obviously,” he added, “Clan na Gael is a highly decorated club, it’s been well-represented going back through the generations.

“But I don’t want to be remembered as a nearly man either. I want to join Bumpy (O’Hagan) and Marsden and go up onto that wall and that’ll be the aim.”