Friendship will be forgotten for 90 minutes on Saturday at Links Park as Arbroath boss Dick Campbell finds himself in the opposite dug-out to Montrose manager Stewart Petrie for the start to the Ladbrokes league 1 campaign.
The duo have known each other for years with Petrie signing for Bert Paton’s Dunfermline when Campbell was assistant at East End Park in 1993.
They have remained close ever since and still speak every week on the phone.
Campbell admits he has the utmost respect for the job Petrie has done with Montrose, steering the club to promotion last season.
There will be a party atmosphere inside Links Park this weekend with the League 2 championship flag set to be unfurled prior to kick-off.
Campbell will undoubtedly generously applaud the achievement – but he is determined the Red Lichties will be the ones with something to clap about come the final whistle.
The 64-year-old said: “We signed Stewart when Bert and I were at Dunfermline.
“He played there for the majority of his career.
“He was a great player for us at Dunfermline and a lovely lad as well.
“I encouraged him to get into coaching and get his badges. He had that bit about him.
“When I went to Ross County, I actually brought him back from Australia where he was working with Ian Ferguson to be my assistant there.
“That didn’t pan out properly but we did pay for him to come back from Australia.
“Things didn’t work out and I went to Forfar where I had eight fabulous years.
“Stewart had gone to Arbroath with Paul Sheerin and had a great time there before I took him to Forfar as a coach with me.
“I encouraged him to take the Montrose job and he got it.
“We still talk once or twice a week on the phone and he has done a miraculous job.
“He won the title ahead of a Peterhead side that probably had a budget three times the size of his.
“So I can’t speak highly enough of Stewart.
“Hopefully his League 1 campaign gets off to a great start – after Saturday.”
There is also a big family connection between Campbell and Montrose with two of his sons involved with the club – Iain, who is a player, and Ross who is player/assistant manager.
He added: “I am very proud of all my three boys. They all represented Scotland at some level.
“Ross is obviously chief executive of the Oriam now.
“Iain is still playing yet and he and Paul work for us at Avenue Recruitment.
“They have all been brought up in a football environment.
“The phone never stops in my house about football. My twin brother Ian is exactly the same with his two sons.
“Stewart probably recognises the role Ross has got as I do over the years with my people who have worked with me particularly Ian.
“Ross is the same helping Stewart but there is no conflict of interest there because I will just batter him if there are any problems at all!”
Arbroath made it all the way to the promotion play-offs last season and Campbell is hoping to go one step further this campaign.
However, he is aware just how tough it will be in League 1 this year, especially with local derbies with Montrose, Brechin and Forfar to negotiate.
He added: “It is already difficult to try to work out what the result of a local derby will be – just ask any fixed-odds punter.
“On top of the four Angus teams, you are going to have Dumbarton who have just come down from the Championship as well as Raith Rovers who are full time.
“You will also have Stenhousemuir who have come up, Airdrie who are investing money, along with the likes of East Fife and Stranraer.
“We are under no illusions about just how tough the league will be but we are confident in the quality of squad we have at Arbroath.”
