Lewis at a loss to explain stalemate
JOE LEWIS had been a selfconfessed spectator for nearly 90 minutes at Tannadice on Saturday. His Aberdeen side had been relent less but unsuccessful in pursuit of an opener in their New Firm clash, faced with an inspired Benjamin Seigrist and resolute Dundee United rearguard.
In the dying embers, the Englishman was called into action for the first time when Logan Chalmers was sent through one- on- one, but spread himself well to block the goalbound effort.
Despite his inaction throughout, Chalmers’ late chance could so easily have secured the points for Micky Mellon’s side as the Dons laboured in front of goal. Lewis knows games with so many chances – Aberdeen had 18 shots – must be won. But the keeper was measured in his analysis.
He said: “We should have won that game. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. We were the dominant team for 90- odd minutes, and they had one real bit of action on the counter- attack.
“Clearly it’s very disappointing that we didn’t win the game and we feel like it’s two points dropped, but it’s very early in the season and we’re not going to get too hung up on other teams’ results yet. We know we’ve got a strong enough squad, we’ve got a brilliant squad this season.
“The general play was very good and it wasn’t for a lack of application, it was just that final little bit wasn’t there today.”
Ahead of the fixture, United had played three times during the international break while Aberdeen hadn’t been in action since the beginning of the month. The hosts had endured something of a mixed couple of weeks. Their trio of Betfred cup fixtures during the international break was bookended with wins over Brechin and Kelty Hearts but sandwiched in the middle was a disappointing home defeat to Peterhead.
Aberdeen, meanwhile, welcomed back man of the moment
Andy Considine, fresh from a seamless double of clean sheets in his first two Scotland caps.
Aberdeen’s best first- half chances fell to Scott Wright, who was twice denied by Seigrist. Both chances afforded Wright the opportunity to shoot from inside the box, neither found their way past the United man.
Jonny Hayes also went close with two efforts, the second of which looked to have snuck in at the back post but evaded the goal and Ryan Hedges.
As the game progressed, the home side’s back line got deeper as Aberdeen’s chances continued into the second period. They flung countless crosses into the box, and Ross McCrorie had a looping header go narrowly wide near the game’s conclusion.
United’s defence, marshalled expertly by Mark Connolly, was the home side’s biggest positive. The newly- promoted side have adapted well to the Premiership, and tightened up at the back after leaking goals early in the season, which was particularly pleasing for Connolly.
He said: “We’ve spoken to each other as a team and [ said] we need to be solid, be hard to break down. I think we showed that today.
“We won the Championship last year with a different philosophy and coaching staff, and halfway through pre- season we got a new manager with new styles and new ideas. I think we’ve just got to keep going and keep grinding at it.”