Lewis Ferguson now offers a potent goal threat for Aberdeen

Lewis Ferguson is on a hot scoring streak, with three goals in his last three games. The Aberdeen midfielder has never been considered prolific but is determined to pull his weight, particularly with his club’s well documented problems in attack. The Dons have been denied the services of last season’s top scorer Sam Cosgrove due to injury and they were also without Curtis Main for the season’s start. To compound their bad luck, the forward they brought in on loan from Leeds United, Ryan Edmondson, injured his ankle two weeks into his stay in the North-east. So the onus has been on the rest of the squad, and Ferguson has delivered. By scoring against Livingston, Runavik and Hibs the Scotland Under-21 international has already equalled his tally from the truncated 2019-20 campaign. “I wanted to improve from last season because I didn’t score as much as I would have liked,” Ferguson admitted. “So far I have matched that already. “I have not set myself any targets just yet. I just want to show good form and if I get on the goal sheet that is an added bonus. “I just want to keep performing and I want the team to keep putting in winning performances that will put us in as high a place as possible in the league table. Then we will see how far we can go in Europe.” The Dons take on Viking Stavanger in the Europa League second qualifying round on Thursday and have the mouthwatering prospect of a potential tie against Sporting Lisbon if they can come through in Norway. Ferguson expects to link up with recent signing Ross McCrorie against Viking and revealed his burgeoning midfield partnership with the new boy has been years in the making. Derek McInnes has paired his new recruit from Rangers alongside Ferguson at the heart of the Dons midfield since luring 22-year-old McCrorie from Ibrox last month. But it is not the first time Ferguson has lined up beside the Scotland Under-21 skipper. The duo first met during their days in the Rangers academy and have also seen action together for Scot Gemmill’s Scotland Under-21 side. While Ferguson joined Hamilton after being released by Rangers at 14, McCrorie, pictured inset, decided himself it was time to move on from Rangers this summer after finding first-team opportunities limited under Steven Gerrard. But after reuniting in the Granite City, Ferguson believes their childhood bond will ensure they become the main men at Pittodrie. He said: “I’ve enjoyed hooking up with Ross these last few games. I’ve known him for a long time. I first came across him when I was playing pro-youth with Rangers. Ross was the year older than me but we played together a few times and got to know each other. “I’ve met up with him more recently when we were both included in Scotland Under-21 camps. So I knew what type of player he was and what he’s like as a boy. “It’s definitely made it easier forming a partnership. You know what it’s like when a new boy comes in that you’ve never had a relationship with and maybe haven’t even seen them play before. “But Ross I and know exactly what each other is like having played with each other since we were young. That’s helped. We’ve formed a decent partnership in the middle of the park. We both offer different things as well as a few similar things.” There will be 300 fans there to cheer on the Dons as they look to make it five wins on the bounce against Kilmarnock today. Ferguson added: “Killie will be on a high after beating Dundee United before the international break but we’re in the same boat as them. We’re going into the match on the back of a good result ourselves, so both teams will be high on confidence. Hopefully we can put on another winning performance for the fans who will be there.” A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Joy Yates Editorial Director