Lewis praised for almost keeping Celtic at bay

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes goalkeeper Joe Lewis is a massive asset to his team in pursuit of league and cup success.

The 29-year-old former Cardiff City goalkeeper has conceded 15 goals in 20 appearances this season, keeping eight clean sheets.

The Englishman produced a man-ofthe-matchperformanceagainstCelticon Saturday, although he was unable to prevent the Hoops leaving Pittodrie with maximum points thanks to Tom Rogic’s winner.

McInnes is delighted with the way Lewis has quickly settled to life with the Dons after his summer move to Pittodrie and said: “I have got a very good goalkeeper. I have been saying for a while how confident I am in him.

“The work he does every day with Gordon Marshall and Neil Alexander helps him be ready for big games such as Saturday when he was a bit busier than normal.

“He has a good presence and he made some good saves at the right times.

“He brings an air of assurance to our defence. I was pleased with his performance against Celtic but he wasn’t the only one who played well. We had several good performances but I still think we can improve.”

After a six-game winning run, the Dons have now lost two matches on the spin after 1-0 defeats by Hamilton Accies and Celtic.

Next up for McInnes’ men is Friday night’s trip to Firhill to take on Partick Thistle, who will be in confident mood after winning 2-1 at St Johnstone on Saturday.

The Aberdeen manager said: “We don’t want a pat on the back for at least giving Celtic a game, we did more than that.

“We brought thought and a competitive edge to our game and deserved something from it.”

Former Cardiff City keeper Joe Lewis has been a standout for the Dons.