Joe Lewis is happy at his work.
Last season he was warming the Fulham bench most of the time, loaned out by Cardiff City and wondering where his career was going.
Today, as he prepares to keep St Johnstone at bay, the Dons goalkeeper professes to be pleased at being in demand, despite a congestion of fixtures bringing eight games this month.
Lewis’s arrival in the summer was a journey into the unknown for the former Peterborough United play but he insists that feeling wanted at a club where he has been an ever-present in the first team, has helped him be better at his job.
The instruction from Derek McInnes, his manager, at the start of the season for him to impose himself on games and to instil confidence in his defenders, is a challenge he has embraced.
“I’ve played 24 games already this season,” he said, “and only ten for Fulham last season.
“I’ve benefited from featuring every week. You get into that zone where you’re playing every week and it’s good for you.
“The manager has shown confidence in me and at the start of the season he gave some good direction on how he wants his goalkeepers to play.
“He wants me to be positive and on the front foot and come and deal with things in the air which I’ve managed quite well this season.
“I hope I’ve merited selection. I want to be a bit of a presence at the back.
“It’s good to feel wanted. I’m enjoying my football here more than I’ve done anywhere.”
Wins for the Dons today and against Motherwell at Pittodrie next Tuesday would push them back into second place, an achievement that would do much to wiping out the disappointment misery of losing to Celtic in the Betfred Cup final and against Rangers at Ibrox last weekend.
“We have to attack these games coming up,” he added. “It would be nice going into the break in second spot.
“We can look back a bit then because you don’t want to go into the break on the back of a poor result.
“We will be looking to make the most of the remaining games and to make sure we finish second.”
McInnes, who’ll have skipper Ryan Jack back from suspension today – he was shown two yellow cards in the 2-1 defeat at Ibrox last week – was pleased to emerge from the 5-1 midweek win over Kilmarnock without injury to any of his players, but he insisted the number of games on the cards will mean changes in his team from time to time.
He said: "The players accept we cannot achieve what we want this season with just 11 players and the squad accepts that.
“It is unrealistic to think every player will play every minute of every game especially in a month like December where we are going to be challenged physically and mentally.
"December has always been a good month for us in the last few years as we've had a decent squad and real concentration in every game.
"There will be opportunities for the bulk of the squad this month but we know we need to get the balance right for another tough game against St Johnstone.
"We have more options with this squad partly due to the fact we have no injuries at the moment and we feel we are capable of handling the schedule of games.
"It is difficult for the players not playing but it is important for them to keep working hard for their opportunity. They have to be ready physically and mentally to take their chance.”
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