Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass has hailed club captain Joe Lewis’ resolve after the goalkeeper was restored to the team.
The goalkeeper has not featured in the last two matches after losing his place to Gary Woods, but returned for Saturday’s 1-0 win against Hibernian.
Lewis needed treatment for a head knock following a collision with team-mate Ross McCrorie,, but Glass was delighted with the goalkeeper’s assured performance in the victory.
He said: “I thought he was excellent. He took it really well when he was left out. It’s not easy to be left out as a number one goalkeeper.
“He waited his turn to come back in. I felt it was time to put him back in. He looked more like himself and more confident and he repaid everyone at the club with his performance. He was fantastic.
“I don’t know if it’s broken, but he has a pretty big cut on his nose. He looks like a proper goalie now. He has taken a sore one, managed to stay on the pitch and I’m delighted for him.”
Attacking trio impressive in Hibs win
While Lewis played his part in the team recording only its second clean sheet of the season, Glass was equally pleased to see the attacking trio of Christian Ramirez, Marley Watkins and Ryan Hedges combine to good effect against Hibs.
Watkins partnered Ramirez, who scored the only goal of the game, with Hedges offering support behind the front pairing, and Glass is encouraged by the early signs of the combination.
He said: “Hedges played at the top of the midfield and Marley was in there as well. It’s easy to connect when you have that pace up there and they were able to connect with Christian Ramirez, too.
“Marley was a little bit closer to Christian than anyone recently, with Hedges at the top of the midfield linking it all together.
“We haven’t had Marley on the pitch, but you can see what he brings and why we wanted to bring him back to the club.
“Hedges has missed a lot of games, too, and if we can keep them on the pitch we will be good.”
Defensive options limited for Ibrox trip
While Glass’ attacking options have improved, his new challenge is keeping the defenders on the pitch.
Jack Mackenzie missed the game due to an ankle injury, while Calvin Ramsay and Declan Gallagher both limped off in the first half and forced team captain Scott Brown to drop back from midfield to play in defence.
With long-term injuries Andy Considine and Mikey Devlin also on the sidelines, the Dons boss is down to the bare bones in available defenders ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership match against champions Rangers at Ibrox.
The Aberdeen manager, however, believes his players should head for Glasgow with confidence following their weekend win.
Glass said: “Wednesday might be a little bit soon for them, but we’ve got a good group of players here and we’ll be able to handle Wednesday night.
“Before Saturday’s game, everyone was telling us it was a tough week against three of the best teams, but it is tough every week in the Premiership.
“Some of the criticism has been that the players cannot grind out a result like they did on Saturday, so I’m delighted for them.
“We looked like a team, a group that cared and the fans drove the team on when we were under pressure in the second half. We didn’t give up a lot of chances.
“I’ve been saying repeatedly after games individual mistakes have cost us, but there wasn’t (any against Hibs). Our focus was good, and anytime anyone did need help, someone was there to help them out.”