Lewis braced for... BATTLE of WITS

His old sparring partner Brown is now a team-mate, but Dons midfielder faces a different test against the guile of McGregor

LEWIS FERGUSON admits it will be odd to walk out at Celtic Park wearing the same colour of shirt as Scott Brown this afternoon. The two battled their way through previous Celtic v Aberdeen clashes with some ferocity but became allies when Brown quit Glasgow for the team in red last summer.

Yet while Ferguson won’t have Brown to contend with in the middle of the park he knows Callum McGregor will make for an equally tough opponent, if for very different reasons.

Ferguson has always admired McGregor as a footballer but the respect has moved up a notch or two since his promotion to the Scotland squad gave him the chance to train with the Parkhead playmaker on a regular basis.

Named Brown’s successor as captain at Celtic, McGregor leads his team in a far less combative manner but Ferguson has just as much respect for his skill-set.

He said: ‘I have played against Callum for the past three years and mostly directly against him too. He is pretty under-rated in what he does. He is a really good footballer and rarely gives the ball away.

‘He is so neat and tidy on the ball, he’s quick and he gets about the pitch. Everything about him tells you he is a top-class midfielder. I rate him so highly as everybody in Scotland should.

‘He goes under the radar because, playing for Celtic, the forward players get all the credit and the plaudits when they are winning. With Scotland it might be the same.

‘But he does his job, executes his game-plan perfectly. He is just an all-round good midfield player and a really tough opponent.

‘With experience I think he has become a better player. He is the captain of Celtic and is following in Broony’s footsteps.

‘He came through the ranks, went out on loan, came back and has now played so many games, won trophies and played Champions League.

‘I’m happy to see him do well because he is a good guy and I get on well with him.’

So far so nice, but it’s not in Ferguson’s nature to bow down to any opponent on the field of play.

And, with Brown at his back, the former Hamilton Accies prospect can be expected to tear into the Celtic midfield with his usual mix of aggression and enthusiasm this afternoon.

A tactical shift by manager Stephen Glass has seen Brown slot into the middle of a back three, leaving Ferguson in charge of midfield duties.

Ferguson knows Brown will find today’s game a different experience and not just because the 36-year-old is no longer at the very heart of the action. ‘It will be strange for us and for Broony personally,’ admits the 22-year-old. ‘We’re so used to Broony being on the opposite side when we go to that stadium.

‘He has been good. He’s a very experienced player who has played at the top level, hundreds of games, Champions League, won trophies, and he has done everything in Scottish football.

‘To have somebody like that next to you can’t do you any harm, it can only do you good. He is always on at me but that’s to make me a better player and a better person. I have really enjoyed having him next to me.’

Although Brown’s final season as a Celtic player ultimately ended in the ignominy of the club surrendering all three domestic trophies, there could yet be a significant personal accolade heading his way.

The sight of the Celtic skipper approaching Glen Kamara to offer an arm and words of solidarity in the wake of the racist abuse suffered by the Rangers midfielder against Slavia Prague last term was a rare moment of unity in a football rivalry that is too often destructive.

The gesture has been acknowledged by UEFA who have shortlisted Brown for its annual fair play award.

‘The gesture was different class so hopefully he will get it,’ says Ferguson. ‘But even getting the nomination is very good in itself. What he did was top notch so I think he deserves it.’

As Brown plays out the final instalment of his onfield career, he has taken on some coaching responsibilities at Pittodrie.

Ferguson, by contrast, remains in the early stages of his journey. The club rejected a bid from English Premier League side Watford for his services last summer but it’s been no real surprise to see him knuckle down without fuss. His involvement with the national squad has been an encouraging development, a promotion that has earned him two caps, tangible evidence that his career has not necessarily stalled at Pittodrie.

‘That has helped me,’ he admits. ‘Going and training with these guys, you are in with loads of big names, top-class Premier League players. These guys are at the level you want to reach. It gives me an insight into what it takes to get to that level. Hopefully I can pick up some of those habits.

‘Callum is a starter for Scotland most games so that is the standard I need to reach. I look up to these guys and think that’s the level, the benchmark I need to get to in order to become a starter for Scotland.’

Glass, appointed in March following the departure of Derek McInnes, has found the going tough in his first full season at the club.

His commitment to implementing a supposedly more entertaining style of play — endorsed by Dons chairman Dave Cormack — has not been particularly successful in terms of either results or the team being noticeably easier on the eye.

The bid for Ferguson offered a further early test of his management but, even though the midfielder subsequently handed in a transfer request, Glass has no complaints over his application.

As ever, Ferguson has been one of the more productive players at Pittodrie and his manager believes he has taken encouragement from his international recognition.

Ferguson did not see a minute of action in the recent World Cup qualifying double header against Moldova and Denmark yet, as the team nailed down a play-off spot and seeding for the March matches, he couldn’t fail to be infected by the optimism surging through the squad.

Callum is a starter for Scotland in most games so that is the standard that I need to reach

‘I noticed a real spring in Lewis’s step when he came back,’ notes Glass. ‘He is brilliant and his persona is great, even through the transfer chat and all that.

‘But this time, maybe due to the magnitude of the games he was around, I saw a real spring in his step. I’m hoping that translates into big performances for us because he’s trying to stay in there.

‘Do I worry about him hearing what players in England are on? No, I think he knows that already!

‘Maybe back in the day it was a bit different, but Lewis is well aware of the riches than are on offer in England.’

Naturally competitive and willing to cover ground off the ball, Ferguson is an easy fit for a ‘spoiling’ role deep in midfield but his natural athleticism and eye for goal mean he has the tools to play in a more advanced role.

‘I think he’s capable of playing both roles, even within a single game,’ adds Glass. ‘When teams used to play 4-4-2, one would go forward while the other sits and Lewis has a bit of that about him.

‘Sometimes I think it’s better that he’s not pinned down. He’s almost suffered from us tactically at times because if we ask him to really sit, he doesn’t get forward and if we get him forward he doesn’t come back at times.

‘So when he’s freed up a little bit more he’s at his best. He is capable of it all from the middle of the park, so it’s about channelling that properly — putting the right people beside him.’

Ferguson has six goals to his name this season, including one against Celtic when the teams met back on October 3. He’s scored regularly against the Parkhead side since moving to Aberdeen in 2018 but despite finding the net five times he has yet to experience victory over a team now under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

‘It’s always difficult, especially going down to Parkhead, but I am positive we can go and get a result,’ he said.

‘I have scored plenty of goals but I’ve never been on the winning side and that shows their attacking threat.

‘They always carry a threat and at the moment their front three are producing. We need to keep them quiet, be good defensively and hopefully I can get myself another goal and maybe win the game.

‘We had a good start to the season in the European qualifiers and in the league before hitting a bad patch.

‘It is all about consistency now. We need to go on a run where we are picking up points and it needs to start now.

‘Offensively we can score goals against any team, but it’s the defence we need to focus on if we are to get a good result at Celtic Park.’