Lewis smiling as he attracts Irish eyes
Friday, 20th Sep 2019Electing to play for Northern Ireland was “no brainier” for Lewis McCann
Eighteen year old Lewis McCann is taking confidence from four starts and five appearances off the bench for Stevie Crawford’s team so far this season. He missed out in the match day squad only once against Alloa Athletic, but that was due to his international call up for Northern Ireland.
Ian Baraclough introduced Lewis off the bench in their disappointing 0-0 home draw against Malta in Group Eight of the Under 21s Euro 2021 campaign. Lewis then started the next match on Tuesday 10th September, a 1-1 draw in the Raatin Stadium in Oulu, Finland. All that has been a great boost to the Pars striker who said:-
“It’s been good. Going away with Northern Ireland is a nice experience because it’s someone saying you’re doing well enough to be able to go away with them.
“I came on in the first game with about 10 minutes to go and started the second game. It’s not just like I’ve gone away to make up the numbers, they’ve actually had ambitions for me to play, which was good.”
Lewis qualifies to play for Northern Ireland due to his father being born and brought up in Portadown. It was Stevie Frail who called Lewis into Northern Ireland squad at under-19 level. He was capped twice before Ian Baraclough the under-21s manager gave him the step up. Both coaches have impressed the Edinburgh based player:-
“They’re really good, they know what they’re doing, they know what they want and you’ve just got to stick to it. Two draws probably weren’t what we were wanting when we went into the games but we’re unbeaten after those two games, which is good.”
To be involved in international football with Northern Ireland has been a valuable experience for Lewis who continued:-
“There’s a good group of boys coming up, all the way through the age groups, and there’s a few young boys already getting senior caps, which is great.”
There was no sign of an interest from Scotland so when Northern Ireland got in touch Lewis said that it was a “no-brainer” and a good feeling to know that someone was noting that you’re doing well.
“Scotland might have wanted me but I didn’t know that. It was a bit like first come, first served.”
Lewis’s elder brother Ali was also included in the Northern Ireland U21 squad but it is still possible that they could end up playing against each other at international level.
Ali is doing well at St Johnstone and was called up the day before the squad got together. Having his brother alongside him helped Lewis he felt:-
“It helped me come out of my shell a wee bit with the rest of the boys as well. Obviously I’m close with him, so it was nice to have him there. He didn’t get on, so he could still play for Scotland as well.
“He’s had a good run of games and St Johnstone are starting to get a grip of what they want, I think. I was texting him after the game last weekend he thought they deserved to win, and he’s doing well.
“At the end of last season, we were both on the bench and sometimes in the stand, so the household was a bit down. It’s nice now that we’re both playing, and my parents are really proud. If I start a game and he doesn’t there’ll be a few wee comments between us, but it’s just a bit of banter, we both want each other to do well.”
Despite missing the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup tie Lewis went straight back into the Dunfermline side against Inverness Caley Thistle with Stevie Crawford well aware that his player came back from Finland full of confidence:-
“It was great to get a start. It was the gaffer showing that he trusts me, because that’s a few games I’ve started this season. He’s putting more and more trust in me to start more games regularly, so hopefully I can just kick on.”
The result against Inverness was cruel after the Pars had kept John Robertson’s side quiet for the majority of the match:-
“It was a horrible way to lose with the late penalty. I thought we just edged it, even though there wasn’t much to the game. I wouldn’t say we dominated but I thought we were the team on top for most of the game. They didn’t have too many chances, whereas if we had been more clinical we could have taken the three points.”
Lewis was part of a Dunfermline side that competed well against Inverness and he thought it was a better performance:-
“We were more as a unit. Going forward and defending and keep the ball, we were better as a team and hopefully we can take that into Saturday.
“Obviously what the manager thinks goes, so if it’s about going back to basics and not confusing things that’s probably the best way to go, especially because we’re not on the best streak of results. So, we’ll just take it back (to basics) and try to get that first win.
“The game against Partick is massive. They’re just one place above us and that makes it a massive game. It’s only five games in, so there’s no panic but you don’t want to get too detached from the top of the table.
“If we get too far away then it becomes ‘oh, we’re only going for fourth place or fifth place’, whereas we want to be up there competing.”
Northern Ireland played Lewis upfront but he is just happy to fit in to wherever he is required in the Dunfermline side, adding:-
“I am a natural number nine. I’m quite big and tall and I like to link up the play. I do like left midfield, getting on the ball, running at people and trying to cut inside to shoot.
“I don’t mind it and I’m just trying to get to grips with the defensive side of it. There’s a lot of running! At the end of the day, I don’t really mind where I play. It’s more about if I’ll play, so wherever the gaffer tells me to play I’ll play.”
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