Young All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis would love nothing more than to represent his country at the Tokyo Olympics next year. But just getting some minutes under his belt and playing an enjoyable brand of football would be a good start for now.

Lewis signed his first professional contract with Scunthorpe United almost two years ago to the day but his stint in England hasn’t quite gone to plan so far with the 22-year-old making only a handful of first-team appearances.

This month’s qualifiers for the Olympic Games have therefore arrived at an ideal time for Lewis as he looks to get some competitive action into his legs.

“There’s actually no place I’d rather be right now,” he says.

“The chance to qualify for the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I don’t think any of us are going to let that slip – we’re going to make sure we get the job done.”

Lewis is already onto his fifth manager during a time of instability at Scunthorpe and is relishing being part of the welcoming environment created by New Zealand U-23 head coach Des Buckingham.

“Des and the boys have worked really hard on their cultural identity and it’s really brought the squad together,” he says.

“We’re very positive and are looking forward to the tournament. Hopefully, we can make New Zealand proud and get to the Olympics.”

Standing in the way initially are Group A opponents Samoa, American Samoa and Solomon Islands, all of whom New Zealand will take on in the Fijian capital of Suva over the coming days.

Lewis and co warmed up for the Olympic qualifiers with a two-match series against Australia in New South Wales earlier this month with both encounters ending 1-1.

The Wellington native caught the eye across the ditch, scoring a spectacular free kick in the opening game before continuing to pull the strings in a playmaker role as New Zealand again more than matched their trans-Tasman foes a few days later.

“The tour was actually very good for me and I was happy with the way I played,” says Lewis, who has 15 caps for the senior All Whites.

“It was good to get back out there for New Zealand and to play in a position I like to play, passing the ball and getting into forward positions. It’s really helped me gain my confidence back again and it helps when you’ve got other players who are buying into the same system. To know that I’m going to work for them and they’re going to work for me is a massive thing.”

Buckingham’s side are favourites heading into the Olympic qualifiers and will have a target on their backs after winning the Pacific Games in Samoa two months ago. New Zealand were the only U-23 team at the senior competition but managed to get the better of their more experienced rivals and Lewis is confident they can achieve a similar set of results in Fiji.

He was not part of the squad that claimed gold in Samoa but looked on from afar with admiration and says the experience will stand those who were there in good stead.

“It’s always going to be difficult going into the islands because of the pitches and other things that are not really on your side. It’s good for the boys to have experienced what it’s like and hopefully they can take that into this one,” he says.

“We just have to knuckle down and get the job done. We need to continue to work hard and implement the patterns that we’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks, on and off the ball.”

That quest will begin on Saturday afternoon when New Zealand open their campaign against Samoa at ANZ Stadium in Suva. There has been a late change to the squad with Callum McCowatt being replaced by Jordan Spain.

Live streaming is available via www.oceaniafootball.com 

OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Group A

Samoa vs New Zealand
Saturday 21 September, 3pm
ANZ Stadium, Suva

New Zealand vs American Samoa
Tuesday 24 September, 3pm
ANZ Stadium, Suva

New Zealand vs Solomon Islands
Friday 27 September, 6pm
ANZ Stadium, Suva

Semi-Finals

Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up
Wednesday 2 October, 12pm (1pm NZT)
Churchill Park, Lautoka

Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up
Wednesday 2 October, 3.30pm (4.30pm NZT)
Churchill Park, Lautoka

Finals

Loser Semi-Final 1 vs Loser Semi-Final 2
Saturday 5 October, 12pm (1pm NZT)
Churchill Park, Lautoka

Winner Semi-Final 1 vs Winner Semi-Final 2
Saturday 5 October, 3pm (4pm NZT)
Churchill Park, Lautoka

New Zealand (from): 1. Cameron Brown (GK), 2. Jordan Spain, 3. Robert Tipelu, 4. Hunter Ashworth, 6. Dane Schnell, 7. Myer Bevan, 8. Jake Porter, 9. Logan Rogerson, 10. Clayton Lewis, 11. Ollie Whyte, 12. Conor Tracey (GK), 13. Liberato Cacace, 14. Billy Jones, 15. Sean Liddicoat, 16. Gianni Stensness, 17. Callan Elliot, 18. Ben Waine, 19. Noah Billingsley, 20. Dylan de Jong, 21. Alex Paulsen (GK)
Coach: Des Buckingham

Article added: Thursday 19 September 2019