No exSpence please says Lewis
Thursday, 28th Jul 2016Lewis Spence hopes that one bad result doesn`t stifle his opportunity to show what he can bring to the Dunfermline team
Lewis Spence`s Dunfermline season was all of ten minutes as a substitute in the opening match in the Petrofac Training Cup against Arbroath. His last Dunfermline start was in mid March 2015 so naturally he was delighted to be given the nod to start under Allan Johnston for the Betfred Cup tie against Inverness Caley Thistle on Tuesday.
Lewis was hugely disappointed that the team should lose by it heaviest scoreline since losing by the same result at Stranraer in February last year. Speaking exclusively to this website the 20 year old midfielder said:-
"It was a bad result and it was not the best of starts for me, I feel really gutted and it doesn`t look great in my first game to get beat 5-1. In the first half I thought we were doing really well and passing it. They are a good side and dangerous but we were making them run about.
"Then the first goal was a misunderstanding between Ben (Richards-Everton and Hutts (David Hutton), it was a good finish by the boy because it was from quite far out. We were a bit unlucky."
After Andy Geggan had equalised for Dunfermline it looked like the teams might go in level at the break but a 42nd minute free kick changed that. Lewis was deemed to have fouled Jake Mulraney but referee Crawford Allan was to admit after the incident that maybe a free kick to Inverness on the edge of the Dunfermline box was not the correct decision. Lewis explained his view of what happened:-
"I did not touch the boy. He was clever, won the free kick and obviously Iain Vigurs put it in with a great finish. It was just not going our way at all.
"Somebody checked the video at half time and said that he kicked me. I just stood still because I did not want to touch him in case he went into the box. I stopped and I came off worse, I thought I had done my knee in."
Lewis` hand went up signalling he required the attentions of the physio Kenny Murray and from what looked a serious situation for the young Pars player there was relief that he could carry on. He conceded that coming up against Premier League opposition for the first time in his competitive career, he discovered that they know how to grind out results:-
"They know how to take advantage of mistakes, they took their chances and we didn`t do that. We will learn from it and we have a massive game on Sunday because we are still in the section. We will be going up to Dundee United wanting to win it, we will not be going up there just for a draw."
Worried about the result against Inverness, Lewis acknowledged that the manager might want to alter things but Andy Geggan will be suspended for Sunday as a consequence of collecting another yellow card against Inverness. Lewis would dearly love to keep his place:-
"Hopefully I can keep my place and show the gaffer what I can do. Nat (Wedderburn) should be fit and he might change the formation, I don`t really know. Andy will be a big miss, he is scoring a few goals - he is the only one who is scoring for us, he is doing well. I think we have enough players if he is out, to come in and prove that they can play."
Lewis spent from January 2016 until the end of last season on loan to Brechin City and he helped his temporary club to win six of the last seven matches he played for them to secure the most unlikely of escapes for Darren Dods side. Lewis watched from the sidelines when Dunfermline defeated City at the end of March to win League One. Mixed feelings for sure but Brechin escaped and Lewis signed up for another year for Dunfermline`s Championship challenge. He continued:-
"It was hard for me because I never really played here. I went out on loan and we stayed up. I really enjoyed my football there but wanted to stay here. Thankfully the gaffer wanted to keep me, he said that I was still young and that I should come back and fight. I felt that I was really just starting my career."
In the first two Betfred matches against Arbroath and Cowdenbeath Lewis was thrown on as a substitute with under twenty minutes to go in both cases. Then to get a start against Inverness was combined with just the kind of bad luck that the Crosshill lad feels has haunted him of late.
"Every time I come into the team something happens but that is football. I hope that the manager will keep faith in me and start me on Sunday so that I can show him what I can really do.
"We need to pick ourselves up, we won`t dwell on it because it is still a massive game that we want to win on Sunday. We want to do well in this competition to put us in good stead for Dumbarton the week after."
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