"I can't thank everyone enough" for their support - Lossiemouth striker Baylee Campbell suffered a sickening knee injury but has now raised three-quarters of the money needed to pay for vital surgery needed to resurrect his blossoming Highland League playing career
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It's the injury that sends shivers down the spine of every footballer - the dreaded torn anterior cruciate ligament, a knee trauma requiring costly private surgery far outwith the budgets of lower league clubs.
Lossiemouth striker Baylee Campbell, a 23-year-old well on his way to following in the footsteps of his big brother, Coasters legend Shawn Scott, is one of the latest to be floored by ACL trouble.
With huge waiting lists for NHS operations, private surgery is the only route to recovery and a fundraising effort has been set up in support of the popular Lossie window cleaner.
It costs in the region of £7500 to pay for the op and Campbell has been overwhelmed by the volume of donations which have flooded in over the past month.
He revealed that his Lossiemouth team-mates donate part of their wages towards the surgery pot in a similar move to the effort rallied for another Coasters player, Ally Bellingham.
Bellingham's surgery was successful and with some money left over from his fundraiser, the player handed it over to Campbell to start his own gofundme page.
"There's too many people to thank," Campbell said. "It's been absolutely amazing and I think we are around three-quarters of the way there."
The Lossie lad has now passed through his pre-op assessment and agreed to the surgery, and could be given a date in the next month to go under the knife.
Campbell began his career with his home town club aged 15, working through the youth ranks to the first time via loan spells at Burghead Thistle and Dufftown.
He was preparing for what he felt was going to be his best season yet when disaster struck during the summer.
"I had a brilliant pre-season. Frank (manager McGettrick) is very hard on us fitness-wise and all the boys came into it in top shape and we had a lot of good pre-season results and performances.
"In the last pre-season game against Newmachar, it was just a standard turn away from a defender and my knee just popped and gave way.
"The fear kicks in when that happens, and after a great pre-season it was back to reality. I didn’t know the extent at the time.
"When I first got the call with the results, it didn’t sink in at first and then hit me all of a sudden. That minute phone call was the lowest of the low.
"Now I’m taking a positive spin. Everyone at the club has been a massive help, some of the guys who have been through bad injuries themselves have given me a lot of advice.
"Ally Bellingham did his own fundraising and he had leftover money from his own fund which has allowed me to go through the private route with my consultations, my MRI scans. Without that I would have had to dip into my own pocket for all that.
"Ally opened up quite a lot, saying he was always there to speak to because he had his own troubles with coping with the injury and was able to explain a few things. Ultimately it gave me a lot of comfort and closure that anything I do need, I just need to ask him. He has been amazing."
With funds steadily filtering in through Campbell's online page, other members of the Lossie community have been quick to offer assistance.
Campbell has been overwhelmed to see players at other Highland League clubs donating towards his operation.
"My family and friends have been so supportive but there’s so many folk who I’ve never met donating to it. Guys like Dale Gillespie at Brora Rangers, I played against him but really don’t know him that well so it’s amazing to see people like that doing something to help you.
"The players have been putting in part of their wage just as they did with Ally as well. It’s something the boys don’t have to do but that is getting put through. Everyone at Lossie, we are all in it together.
"Frank McGettrick and (assistant) Ian Campbell have had knee issues in their own careers and they have been sorting other funds, previous Lossie chairman Royce Clark is going to be helping me and Martin Cahrlesworth and the team up at Pinefield Glass as well. The staff there includes former Lossie players like Martin McMullan and Scott Gordon so they are a proper football crew and they are raffling off a hamper for me."
One of Campbell's greatest supporters is his older brother Shawn 'Biscuits' Scott, a former Highland League player of the year and Highland league winner with Buckie Thistle, whose career began and ended with his home town Lossiemouth.
The pair have even set up business together as window cleaners across the coastal community.
"Every day I get a story from him. If I mention an injury I’ve had, he will bring up his, and if I talk about my good performances then he will tell me a story about his. He’s definitely a Lossie legend.
"I was at an age where I don’t remember him in his peak years as he was 16 or 17 when I was born. My first memory was the Buckie v Deveronale title decider (May 2011). I was at that game and I remember it fondly.
"But every day I get a different story from him about his career!"
Campbell says Lossiemouth chairman Alan McIntosh has given him huge, Lossiemouth United chairman Alex Lauriston is helping with fundraising options while former Lossiemouth captain Kevin Flett works at the gym in the town and has worked on a programme before and after surgery to aid his recovery.
With Lossie on a great run of form with four wins in their last five league outings, is has given Campbell even greater incentive to work back to fitness and possibly be back playing by the end of next year.
"I've been flicking through some of the photos of me playing and some of my goals, reminiscing on the good times on the pitch. That has been hard.
"But the positive thing is always that I will be doing everything I can to get me back on the park in the future."
