NEW goalkeeper Joe Lewis was Aberdeen’s hero in their Europa League win in Latvia in midweek and he believes playing for a team at the right end of the table can revitalise his career after years playing for struggling clubs in England.
Although Aberdeen were 3-0 up from the first leg at Pittodrie, Ventspils were handed a huge chance to get themselves back into the tie when they were awarded a soft penalty just before the interval. However, Lewis made a superb save when he flung himself to the right to keep out the spot-kick and also made another excellent stop late on, before Adam Rooney killed the tie with the only goal late on.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes praised the ex-Peterborough United, Blackpool and Cardiff City player after the game and suggested he would flourish at Pittodrie because he has previously been with clubs at the wrong end of the table.
The 28-year-old former England squad goalkeeper reckons his biggest challenge this season could be keeping his concentration with a reduced workload likely this season.
Lewis is often seen racing up to the halfway line for chats with his defenders while play rages at the other end. But he says he does that to keep his mind sharp.
“It’s been a good start for me certainly, but I’m not taking anything for granted. It’s about preparing myself mentally for every game and so far I feel as if I have done well. I need to keep my levels of performance up and make sure I stay in the team because that’s my priority. I can’t get carried away with one good game here or one penalty save there.
“For goalkeepers, it is all about consistency. Any keeper is going to make the odd mistake, but it’s about limiting that and making sure you do the stuff you are good at. I’m pleased with the start and pleased we have negotiated the first two rounds of European football.
“It will definitely help my game being at a club at the right end of the table. It’s a different game when you are challenging for the league. When I was at Blackpool for example, I felt I had a good season and I made loads of saves, but I’m hoping at Aberdeen I won’t be quite so busy in terms of the amount of saves I have to make.
“At Aberdeen, concentration, application and the mental side of things is going to be an important side to my game. Here you will see me jog up the pitch to speak to my defenders when we get a corner for instance and that’s more about me staying focused.
“The lads at the back are probably wondering what I’m on about when I talk to them, but it’s about me staying in the game and concentrating rather than just going to get a drink and letting your mind wander. That’s a side of the game I am looking to work on, especially at home when I will have less to do.”
Next up for Lewis and the Dons is a challenging third-qualifying-round tie trying to do what Celtic, Rangers and Hibs have failed to do in recent years and knock out dangerous Slovenians Maribor.
The giant keeper has warned his team-mates they can’t afford another off-day, like in the first qualifying round when they lost 1-0 in Luxembourg to Fola Esch.
“We need to make sure we’re at it all season. Already we’ve had one let-off against Fola Esch, we didn’t apply ourselves and nearly suffered. That was a warning because no matter who we play, it’s going to be a battle.”
Preparations to tackle Maribor started immediately after their victory in Latvia, according to Aberdeen’s new coach Barry Robson.
“We know Maribor will be really hard,” Robson said. “We just finished the game in Latvia and we were sitting on the bus and watching Maribor for 45 minutes. That’s the way the manager works.
“He told us to enjoy the Ventspils win for 20 minutes and move on. That’s the way it should be – no stone is left unturned.”
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