Norwich City manager Peter Grant completed another piece of his jigsaw for next season today when teenage goalkeeper Joe Lewis signed a new three-year contract with the club.
Norwich City manager Peter Grant completed another piece of his jigsaw for next season today when teenage goalkeeper Joe Lewis signed a new three-year contract with the club.
The 19-year-old gained invaluable match experience as he performed well for Stockport County as they agonisingly missed out on the League Two play-offs on the last day of the season, despite winning their last game 5-0.
Now he has set his sights on staking a claim for first team football at Carrow Road, despite Grant's determination to recruit another proven top-notch keeper during the summer - with David Marshall thought to be top of his shopping list.
"My target is to get in the first team obviously,” he told the Norwich City website. “The manager may be looking to bring in another keeper but it's up to me to play well in training and pre-season games and do what I can to push myself forward.
"I don't want to spend a whole season sitting on the bench, so if there's a chance to go out on loan and get some more match experience under my belt then obviously that's something I would consider.
"I'm delighted to get the contract sorted out going into the summer and I'm looking forward to getting back to work pre-season."
Lewis was pitched into a something of a cauldron when he joined Stockport on loan as they battled desperately for a place in the League Two play-offs. They were dramatically pipped at the post on the last day, when a 5-0 win at Darlington was mollified by a late Bristol Rovers winner at Hartlepool, pushing County out of the top seven.
"It was obviously a real blow to miss out on the play-offs and the possibility of playing at Wembley,” added Lewis, who made five appearances for County. “But I gained some really good experience of playing competitive matches under pressure."
The news follows hard on the heels of skipper Adam Drury signing a new four-year deal this week.
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