Lewis laments lottery loss
Wednesday, 24th Mar 2021“I am happy to play 120 minutes but I am not happy with the result.
Lewis McCann was given just his third start of the season in Tuesday night’s Scottish Cup tie but in 120 minutes of football he clearly demonstrated his worth. Having started as striker, in the course of the match the nineteen year old was also deployed as a left midfielder and ended up in centre midfield.
He also displayed his talents in defending setplays joking afterwards that his head hurt after all the clearances made possible by his height.
“I feel that I am capable of playing all of them, I can be an aerial threat when upfront and on centre mid. I am just in there to battle and I felt I did that against Morton.”
After extra time and penalties that battle was lost and Lewis expressed the feeling from the dressing room:-
“It’s terrible, it wasn’t the prettiest game by any means but penalties are a lottery and it is a horrible way to end it.
“When you have played 120 minutes of football it is nice to get something out of it. To come to Greenock, late at night in midweek and then go out of the cup, it is just really gutting for the boys.
“It is not the best pitch, Morton play their game and it’s hard to play against. But I thought for the first twenty minutes of the game we were very slightly on top. We had a few chances here and there. Second half was a bit neither here nor there and then in extra time it felt like let’s just get through this.”
Up until Tuesday night Lewis’ game time totalled 221 minutes of football in his seven appearances this season. So it was testimony to his training regime that he was fit to be on the pitch until the bitter end, he added:-
“I have not been playing much, never mind 120 minutes, I was cramping up. I am happy to play 120 minutes but I am not happy with the result. Someone has got to win so we will take it with a pinch of salt and move on to the next game.
“I’d rather be through in the Cup with other people playing, than me playing and be out of the Cup. It is what it is, it is not a good result.”
In the penalty shoot out Lewis was charged, at 4-4, with the first penalty in the sudden death stage. He triumphed netting low in the left corner of the net but he described what had gone through his mind at the time:-
“I was fine, I just scuffed it a little, a big spray of sands came up when I hit the ball. I sent the keeper the wrong way and I was just so relieved to see it go in. You are a bag of nerves before you go up and when you are walking up you just forget about it and do what you can to get the ball in the back of the net.”
So now Lewis waits to see if he will play against Dundee in Saturday night’s Championship show down or against Raith Rovers on Tuesday night:-
“It is up to the manager but if he feels that I have done enough to play then I will go out and do what I can to help the team. If he doesn’t then I hope we go out and win both games. They are two big games and two must win games.”
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