THE path from Hamilton Accies to Milan or Juventus is hardly a well-trodden one, but Lewis Ferguson may just be the trailblazer who works his way up from New Douglas Park to the San Siro.
The midfielder has enjoyed an impressive debut season for Bologna in Serie A since his summer move from Aberdeen, with a late flurry of goals taking him to seven for the campaign. Denis Law, with 10 for Torino in the 1960s, is the only Scot to ever better the tally in the division.
His form has caught the eye of some of the biggest fish in that particular pond, with some of the most storied clubs in the country credited with an interest in the 23-year-old. He admits such attention is flattering, but as he gears up for tomorrow night’s crunch European Championship qualifier against Norway for Scotland, the only jersey he is dreaming of pulling on in the immediate future is a dark blue one.
“It’s nice to hear and see whether it’s online or in the newspaper.,” Ferguson said.
“But genuinely, it doesn’t affect me in any way. I don’t think too much about it. I try to focus on what’s in front of me and while I’m here I’ll be fully focused on Scotland and when I go back over to Bologna it will be the same.
“Until something is actually for me, only then will it start to get into my mind a wee bit but as of now, it doesn’t really affect me.
“I’m used to it. Since I started playing professionally, there were always links here and there. It was the same when I was up in Aberdeen.
“I’m used to that sort of thing now and it doesn’t really faze me too much. It doesn’t come into my mind - I just try to focus on the here and now.”
That here and now involves breaking into Steve Clarke’s talent-packed midfield, something Ferguson admits drove him to branch out to Bologna in the first place.
“Of course,” he said. “I had options, but I felt that when I spoke to the guys at Bologna and was going to be playing in Serie A every week against top, top teams and training with good players, I knew I would improve.
“The football over there is different but you really do learn a lot and I’ve improved massively since I moved.
“Obviously, one of the big aims was to break into this team and the only way I can do that is by keep getting better, and there is still more to come.
“The lads here have been exceptional for the past two years. I have been in and around the squad at a time when the midfield has been really strong. They have been performing to a really high level with Scotland and their clubs.
“I knew it would be difficult to try and break into the starting XI. I knew I needed to improve if I was going to do that and on the back of the move I made, I think I’ve done that. I want to be the best I can possibly be.
“Still, I need to be patient with the national team as the guys are playing at such a high level.”
What may help him in that regard is the versatility he has shown for his club side, performing proficiently just about everywhere across the Bologna midfield during the course of the season.
“They’ve used me quite a lot as an attacking midfielder but with the systems the manager likes to play, he uses a lot of midfielders,” he said.
“He likes to flood the middle of the pitch. We do it with our centre backs coming in and with our full backs coming into the middle of the pitch. Sometimes we’ll play without a striker in games and he uses a lot of midfielders.
“Sometimes I’m on the left-hand side and he wants me to come inside and help the midfielders as much as possible. So, I’ve played in a few positions, mainly played as a number eight or as an attacking midfielder. I’m comfortable in all of them now and hopefully I can bring that sort of experience back here to the Scotland camp.”
The win over Spain at Hampden last time out has not only done much for the confidence of the Scots, but it has put them in a hugely advantageous position in Group A, knowing that a win in Oslo would all but take the Norwegians out of the qualification reckoning.
Ferguson’s Uncle Barry was of course involved in a couple of famous wins for Scotland over France during his own career, but Scotland ultimately failed to make it to Euro 2008 after defeats to Georgia and Italy.
Ferguson is determined that the same fate won’t befall the current generation, with Clarke and his players hell-bent on backing up that famous night at Hampden back in March.
“It does a lot for our confidence,” he said.
“Last year we beat Denmark really comfortably and they were a top side, but to then go and beat Spain in front of a full crowd with the way we played…it wasn’t as if we robbed them. Nobody who watched the game would tell you that. We were exceptional.
“That just builds your confidence. You know that when we go up against good teams and good players, we can handle it. We can go and beat them. That’s what we’re aiming to do; we’re always wanting to improve.
“To improve, we’ve got to beat those sorts of teams. We’ve got to go up against them and hold our own. The Spain game was incredible, a great night for Scottish football, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t go and qualify.
“It doesn’t mean anything now. Of course, it was a great result, but if it doesn’t lead to something, it doesn’t mean that much.
“If we can go and qualify, then of course that game against Spain will live long in the memory of Scotland players and fans.”
