"...Roeder had taken over and it became clear that I wasn't part of his plans. I think he saw me train for just two days. I could have been 10 times better and still not be given a chance."
Yet it was Lewis's own throw of the dice that proved to be the turning point, the loan move to newly-promoted Morecambe.
"I wanted to go on loan, but no-one would take me," he admits, "then I received a call from Sammy McIlroy and joined Morecambe last August. I had reservations; do I go there and risk getting battered every week?"
"If I'm honest, I underestimated the team. For five months I had a great time. We beat Preston and Wolves in the Carling Cup and went on a good run in the league. My training now had a purpose. I was building up to something at the end of each week, where livelihoods depend on the outcome. I loved that environment and it was a wrench to leave in the end.
Lewis's best performances came against Peterborough in December, where his heroics heralded a 3-2 win. Within days he was heading to London Road.
"Again, I needed time to think as I'd be leaving a club I'd been with since the age of nine," he reflects, "but I knew the Peterborough squad was good, that the club was financially secure and that I would add something to the team. I wouldn't have come here and not played and I joined expecting not to spend another season in League Two."
At least he didn't get battered every week, just a couple!
Cheers, Joe. Hope we see you back here some time!
