[1] His first match as a professional was a 4–5 International Open defeat to seventy-five-year-old Fred Davis, but he reached the last 64 at the 1988 Canadian Masters - losing 2–5 to Stephen Hendry - and the same stage of the 1989 Classic, where Cliff Wilson beat him 5–3.

The following season, Campbell lost 5–0 to Jimmy White in the Grand Prix, but came within one round of qualifying for the main stages of the World Championship, at the Crucible Theatre, for the first time.

He bettered this with a last-16 finish in the 1992 edition, where he overcame Jason Ferguson, John Campbell, Wilkinson and Stuart Reardon, but lost 2–5 to Dene O'Kane.

Having reached a career-high ranking of 65th for the 1992/1993 season, Campbell's form dipped sharply thereafter; his most profitable performance was a last-64 finish at the 1993 UK Championship, where David Roe defeated him 9–6.

Following a 3–5 loss to Malaysian Sam Chong in the 1995 British Open, Campbell did not enter that year's World Championship.