New boy hoping to fill Brunt’s shoes
While Davis’ class will be missed, 20-year-old Lewis aims to seize his big chance and, with left-sided player Chris Brunt contemplating his international future, he has an opportunity to catch O’Neill’s eye in this weekend’s friendly.
“Obviously Chris (Brunt) is a vital member of the team so it would be good to have him back no matter what.
“But, if he doesn’t come back, that obviously gives me a little bit of an opportunity to play in the team and make the left-back spot my own,” he added.
“The Euros were amazing. With the (World Cup) qualifiers against Switzerland, obviously it was unfortunate... I’d probably say it was the referee’s fault!
“I was watching it, I didn’t think it was a handball, but when you get to those games it is the fine margins that can decide the game.
“It was unfortunate to go out in that kind of way but it showed what the lads can do because they’re such a great group and they’ve shown how they can dig deep and win vital games. Hopefully we can continue and kick on and do that.
“The lads are really welcoming, really nice. We had our first training session today and it was good just to stretch out the legs, get the ball moving, it’s been good so far. We were doing a bit of shape today so seeing how the team want to play in the future, seeing how they’ve played.
“We’ve got a lot of talented players in this group, if we can just work well it seems like we can do a lot.
“It’s a really promising sight and I’m looking forward to playing my first game at the weekend.
“Michael’s told me about Windsor Park, the atmosphere’s crazy. I heard the fans are crazy, like having a 12th man in the stands.
“My mum’s coming over. That will be great for her.”