Del’son Baggies wishlist
TONIGHT, FIR PARK, 7.45PM Joe: Season’s just starting after I feared it was done
DEREK McINNES is back in the frame for the West Brom job after the Baggies ditched Alan Pardew yesterday.
The Aberdeen manager is among the contenders for the post at his former club.
Albion will not rush into
JOE LEWIS feared his season was over when he was stretchered off against Rangers at Ibrox two months ago. But now the Aberdeen keeper is back and desperate to help the Dons clinch second place in the Premiership ahead of the Light Blues and reach a second successive Scottish Cup Final. The 6ft 5in shot-stopper was left in agony after a collision with Reds defender Anthony O’Connor in the 2-0 defeat and was later diagnosed with a serious injury with thoughts he could miss the rest of the campaign. The ex-Cardiff keeper returned for the 4-1 home win against St Johnstone on Saturday and will face Motherwell in a crucial league clash at Fir Park tonight, desperate to get the win to go three points clear of Gers. He said: “It’s part of the job, you’re going to get collisions like that. “You just hope they’re not bad and you need to make sure it doesn’t affect you going into the next one. “I’ve watched it back. It wasn’t too clear what had happened. I had a studmark on my bone so I knew there was something. “It might have been Anthony sliding in to try to clear it. “I thought it might have been him but I don’t know. I don’t think he realised what happened.”
Lewis knows there can’t be any slips-up at Fir Park this evening especially as the Dons have rediscovered their form.
But he insisted boss Derek McInnes sold Aberdeen to him on the basis they’d always be bidding for European football and going for domestic silverware.
He said: “I’m at a club now where I enjoy myself and you’re involved in big games regularly.
“Coming into the later stage of the season when we’re challenging is part of why I came up here.
“I want to be involved in big cup games and at the right end of the league.
“We go to Motherwell now and that’s our main focus but there’s some big games coming up.”
There is sympathy for Danny Rogers, his Pittodrie stand-in who played three games before McInnes brought in Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman on loan while Lewis was on the treatment table.
He said: “It must be very frustrating for him but he is a professional lad and his attitude in training has been spot on. Danny hasn’t let it affect him in terms of what he can do.”