Recuperating dad the driving force as Lewis targets Hampden joy
IRRESPECTIVE of the natural talent that shines through, footballers all need one to set them on their way in the game. Often a parent, an uncle or family friend, that willingness to assume the role of mentor, coach and/or taxi driver is utterly invaluable in a player’s formative years. Shoulders to cry on and sources of sage advice, such individuals remain the unseen army of selfless volunteers who have launched a thousand careers.
Joe Lewis did not have far to look for his support. Dad Michael was the man who ferried him between myriad fields of dreams in sleepy Suffolk in the 1990s.
However, when Lewis walks out on to an acre and a half of lush Hampden turf tomorrow, the man who made it all possible will only be able to watch from afar as he recuperates from a stroke. Becoming the first Aberdeen goalkeeper to lift the Scottish Cup since Theo Snelders in 1990 will be motivation enough for the 29-year-old as he takes his place in the tunnel. The thought of driving back south next week to show his father the culmination of a life’s work in the shape of a winner’s medal has never been far from his mind.
‘He hasn’t been very well recently and won’t be able to come up,’ explained Lewis. ‘He will be watching on television and cheering us on. He is out of hospital but isn’t able to travel very far just now.
‘He has seen plenty of games on television and I have got him a code for RedTV as well. He watches all the games and highlights, and follows me closely.
‘It would be great to take a medal back down to him. He would love that.
‘He used to come to the majority of my games. When I was a kid, he used to drive me everywhere. It would be good to go back with a medal for that.
‘My mother and all my family have been really supportive, including my wife. She is there when I’ve had a bad game and gone back in a bad mood. It’s the family who have to deal with all the negative side of being a footballer and playing nearly a 12-month season. A win would be great for them.’
Few would dispute Aberdeen possess the armoury to win the game. They’ve lacerated the likes of Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Dundee this season. Their last two games have seen them win at Ibrox and dismantle Partick Thistle.
Nonetheless Celtic are a different proposition. Back in November, Brendan Rodgers’ side coasted to a three-goal victory in the League Cup final. Since then, the widely held perception has been that they have only improved.
Lewis, however, sees a similar looking graph on the Dons’ progress chart. One that suggests his side can upset the odds.
‘I think definitely we’ve improved,’ he added.
‘From the middle of December onwards, we went on a great run. I think we had eight games in a row winning and we showed great form.
‘Players, individually, came into some great form as well. So I think we’re a better team than we were in November. We’ve learned a lot of lessons throughout the season, as well.
‘Going through things like the League Cup final do make you stronger. You have to learn from your mistakes and poor performances.’
A determination to atone for a collective no-show in November has been part of the Pittodrie narrative ever since. As they begin the trip south, no one has to tell any of Derek McInnes’ players that, if there’s a right way to lose a game of football, that was certainly not it.
‘We need to be positive,’ added Lewis. ‘That League Cup game was not the Aberdeen team we’ve seen throughout the season. It’s impossible for me to say why. If you knew the answer, you wouldn’t be sat here.
‘But we need to be on the front foot and it’s about playing for 90 minutes with total concentration. Celtic have quality and if you switch off, you get punished.’
When he took charge of Aberdeen in the summer of 1978, Alex Ferguson identified winning regularly at the home of Celtic and Rangers as imperative to ongoing success.
These days, only a fool would consider the task of beating the green half of Glasgow as being equal to that of defeating their great rivals.
Yet winning at Ibrox has always been good for Aberdeen’s soul. On the back of a first win there since 1991, Hampden becomes slightly less foreboding.
‘We’ve had two very good results in Glasgow,’ reflected Lewis. ‘The Partick one should give us a lot of confidence and the result at Rangers proved we can deal with the pressure of playing in big games, in front of big crowds.
‘Certainly when they scored their goal there was a lot of noise and a lot of pressure on us and we showed a lot of character to see the game out. We can take a lot of positives from that, yes.’
Aberdeen will need every last drop of resistance. Celtic have won all five encounters between the sides this season. There are only so many ways you can put a positive spin on a 12-2 aggregate score.
Start as horrifically as they did in the 3-1 home loss to Rodgers’ men earlier this month, and Celtic’s Treble will be done and dusted.
‘Definitely, that is something we need to learn from,’ said Lewis.
‘The start will be massive. If we can play like we did in the last 75 minutes against them, then we will give ourselves a great chance of lifting the trophy.’
Were they to do it, an already memorable era in the club’s history would be elevated to a whole new level. The scenes of hysteria that accompanied the League Cup win of 2014 would seem calm in comparison. What a tonic that would be for absent friends.
‘A winner’s medal would take pride of place on the mantelpiece,’ said Lewis. ‘Twenty-seven years for a club like Aberdeen is a very long time. It would be fantastic.
‘You see photos around the place of achievements like the League Cup of a couple of years ago.
‘Some of the lads are still in the dressing room and they talk about that day still. Some never stop going on about it. It would be great to be part of a cup-winning team myself.’