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By Trevor Huggins
MANCHESTER, England, Nov 9 - England defender Sol
Campbell believes a year of injury woes are finally behind him
as he prepares for Saturday's friendly against Argentina.
Campbell, who missed much of Arsenal's 2004-05 campaign with
ankle, calf and Achilles injuries and was also sidelined at the
start of this season, is back after a stop-start run with
England.
Picked for last month's qualifying win over Austria,
Campbell lasted only 64 minutes before getting injured again and
subsequently missing England's final qualifying win over Poland.
"The beginning of the season wasn't the best for me,"
Campbell told reporters on Wednesday. "It was tough. I had to do
pre-season by myself and dig in.
"I waited for my chance (with England) and my chance came
and I took it. That's what you've got to do.
"But these disappointments come in a footballer's career and
you've got to learn to deal with it. You've got to to keep
going.
"Sometimes you can feel that there's no light at the end of
the tunnel. But I kept on plugging away. When you know that
you've got those deep resources in you, you wait for your time."
Campbell celebrated his first league game for Arsenal by
heading two goals in a Highbury victory over Everton and he has
bounced back from last month's brief spell on the sidelines.
Looking ahead in a World Cup year, Campbell feels he has
only one hurdle to clear.
"The main thing is that I have to stay fit -- and it's as
simple as that. Because once I get a good head of steam and
start playing games, I feel more confident and I can do more on
the pitch.
"I feel it now. I've played a few games and I'm feeling
good."
SQUARE ONE
Convinced that the bad times are behind him, the 31-year-old
said: "It's not like last year when I got injured and I was out
for six, seven, eight weeks and within two weeks you've lost
your fitness and you're back to square one again.
"Last season I didn't have a proper pre-season and this year
I have and it made a big difference when I was out for 10 days.
I've got more resources to fall back on.
"If I had a season like last season. I would be struggling
-- but I'm not going to have that. Now I'm playing, my
football's getting better and better every game and I'm getting
stronger."
Asked what made him so sure there would be no repeat of the
past year, Campbell said: "You have to be (sure). You have to
believe.
"Of course, you don't know what's going to happen...But you
have to believe and it's a World Cup year -- and that really
pushes you as well when you're playing club football."
Campbell faces tough competition for a starting place in
Geneva on Saturday as both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry are
available for the two places in central defence.
Another contender for Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup
squad, Real Madrid's Jonathan Woodgate, is sidelined by injury.