Lewis ready to rise again with Phoenix
New Zealand international Clayton Lewis is determined to make the most of his second shot at professional football after joining hometown club Wellington Phoenix ahead of the new A-league season.
Three years ago, Lewis’ career was taking off. He started in two of the All Whites’ three games at the 2017 Confederations Cup and in the two World Cup qualifiers against Peru.
He signed a three-year contract with English League One club Scunthorpe and was excited to take the next step in his career having spent the previous season with national league club Auckland City.
‘‘I was grateful that Anthony Hudson gave me that opportunity to be in the All Whites,’’ Lewis said.
‘‘I didn’t think that at such a young age I would be there, but to be able to play for the All Whites and the under-23s and under-20s was a massive honour. Having those games at a higher level put me on a bigger stage where people did look at me.’’
But the move to England did not go the way the 15-cap international had hoped. Lewis ended up playing just 23 games across 21⁄ frustrating seasons, 15 of those as a substitute, and his minutes dried up completely when Scunthorpe were relegated to League Two.
The lack of action ended up costing him a place in the All Whites.
Despite terminating his contract six months early to return to Auckland City, and playing a starring role for the Oly Whites in two friendlies against Australia, the 23-year-old was not selected by national team coach Danny Hay for senior internationals against the Republic of Ireland and Lithuania late last year.
‘‘I knew it was going to be tough that first season, Scunthorpe were doing really well, we were in the top half of League One, but in my second season we were down towards the bottom and I thought I would’ve got a lot more opportunities, which obviously didn’t happen.
‘‘It’s one of those things that I can’t look back on and regret. It was a learning curve and I’ve moved on. I still talk to some of the boys there – they keep checking up on me which is nice and I made some good friends there.’’
The Wellington-born and raised Lewis is looking to resurrect his career with the Phoenix inwhat will be his first stint with his hometown club, having signed a 12-month contract ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Lewis is likely to be used in an advanced midfield role in coach Ufuk Talay’s favoured 4-2-2-2 formation and said he was hungry to earn himself a starting spot after featuring primarily as an impact player throughout the pre-season, although he did start in their most recent 4-3 win over Newcastle Jets.
‘‘Obviously it didn’t quite work out [at Scunthorpe], I came back to Auckland City but hopefully now I
‘‘That’s helped me – coming back here and having to fight for my place.’’
Clayton Lewis
can showcase myself again for Wellington Phoenix.
‘‘I know that it’s not just an easy road and I think that’s helped me – coming back here and having to fight for my place.
‘‘We’ve got some quality players here and I know you’re not just going to slip into the team anywhere, you’ve got to work for it.’’
As well as breaking into Wellington’s starting XI, Lewis said he was determined to play his way back into the All Whites frame through the A-league and hoped to retain his place in the Oly Whites squad ahead of next year’s Olympic Games, which was delayed 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘‘I spoke to Danny [Hay] at the end of the Auckland City season and just said I want to be back in the All Whites, I don’t want to be someone who might make it this time or he might not. I want to be that person who is always in the team, pushing for a starting spot every week,’’ Lewis said.
‘‘There’re so many young players going overseas now and doing well at those clubs. If I wanted to get back in the All Whites I knew I needed to get back in the pro environment and playing games at a high intensity, and I think Wellington Phoenix suits the way I play and I just hope I can get out there and show everyone what I’m about.’’
The Phoenix were due to begin the new season away to Brisbane Roar on Tuesday but the opening round game was postponed last week in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak in New South Wales. They will now begin the campaign against reigning champions Sydney FC at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium next Saturday.