Undervalued down south, Lewis has come north to be the best
Aberdeen are finding goals hard to come by. But David Preece reckons they’ll still win games – because, in Joe Lewis, they have the Premiership’s top goalkeeper. Former Dons stopper Preece spent a 22-year playing career between the sticks. Now he earns his crust as a writer and analyst, with a particular emphasis on his old position. Preece has been a keen observer of Lewis since his arrival at Pittodrie. Two years later, he reckons Aberdeen’s goalie has proved himself to be the best in Scotland. “Joe’s top-drawer,” said the Sunderland-born pundit. “He’s definitely the best keeper in the Premiership at the minute – I don’t think that’s too controversial a statement. “I’d put him above Craig Gordon. I’d put him above Allan McGregor. “Not just form-wise, but as a goalkeeper.” In his early 20s, Lewis was hailed as a star in the making. While starring at Peterborough United in 2008, he was called up to the full England squad, and tipped for a move to a top club. It never materialised. But now Preece reckons
Lewis is fulfilling that early potential. He said: “Joe has surprised a lot of people in England – including myself. “His move to Aberdeen had a feel of being a ‘Last Chance Saloon’. He had to kick-start his career again. “During his time at Peterborough, everybody thought there was going to be a bigger move for him. “But going to Cardiff didn’t work out for him, then Blackpool were in a difficult situation when he went there, and it just didn’t really happen. “When people went to take a look at him, there was always just a nagging doubt that stopped people from taking the plunge. “There was always talk about him going here, there and everywhere, but circumstances went against him. “But coming up to Scotland – and to Aberdeen – has been massive for him. “He has really shown the value of going somewhere and playing week-in, week-out. “He was excellent against Burnley, which wasn’t a surprise to anybody who has watched him over the last few seasons. “I actually think he’s undervalued in England now, mostly because of the way people down there look at Scottish football. “But I can see it becoming a challenge for Aberdeen to hold on to Joe at some point soon.” Aberdeen managed just a goal a game in their first four competitive fixtures of the season, none of which were scored by first-choice strikers Stevie May and Sam Cosgrove. Dons boss Derek McInnes has moved to bolster his striking option by bringing in Manchester United hit man James Wilson on loan. Players like James Maddison, Danny Ward and Michael Hector have used loan spells at Pittodrie to springboard themselves into the Premier League limelight. For Preece, who still keeps watch on his former team – including attending their Europa League clash with Burnley at Turf Moor – continuing to add quality from that market makes perfect sense. “It’s a great market for Aberdeen because of the way the Premier League is,” he said. “The number of foreign players now means a lot of young English and British talent is being overlooked – and they are going out on loan to put themselves in the shop window. “Aberdeen are in a strong position to take the best of those players because they can point to the young guys they’ve had before and say: ‘Look at where they are now’. “They can also say to their parent clubs that they’re doing them a favour, they are developing their players for them and giving them game time. “In the short-term, that could work really nicely for Aberdeen.”