'With his performances I don't think it is any secret that we want him to stay here' - Alan Mathews confirms talks are ongoing for Alfie Lewis to stay at Richmond Park

Alfie Lewis St Patrick's Athletic

Alfie Lewis Credit: Peter Fitzpatrick (ETPhotos)

St Patrick’s Athletic first-team manager Alan Mathews has confirmed that talks are ongoing for Alfie Lewis to stay at the club following the end of his loan deal.

Lewis was most recently released by his parent club West Ham United, and his contract is set to  expire on 30 June.

And the English midfielder turned in a sensational display on Monday evening as the Saints saw off Finn Harps by four goals to one at Richmond Park.

But what is unclear is the future of the ex-West Ham academy star as Mathews said talks are being held to keep him at the club on a permanent basis.

“That’s ongoing,” Mathews told extratime.com. “It’s something that we have been working on.

“With his performances I don’t think it is any secret that we want him to stay here.

“We’re working on it and it’s a work in progress at the moment.”

On his midfielder’s performance, the former Longford Town boss added: “He was really good tonight. He’s a natural midfield player and is technically very good.

“He’s balanced well off his left and right. The last couple of weeks he has come in and he has got used to the league a bit more with the physicality and he’s brought it in. The goal was a just reward for a great performance.”

The win sent Pat’s top of the table on goals scored for the time being – with Mathews pleased that his side turned in a strong second-half display.



“In the second-half we thought we had to up things and we certainly did. We pressed higher up the pitch and our passing and movement was far better.

“We carved them open, and we got four goals. I’m very pleased that the goals are spread among our players.

“Ronan (Coughlan) got a couple. Alfie and Robbie also scored. It’s a big win for us and hopefully we can continue that.”

And in terms any other potential arrivals during the upcoming summer transfer window for the Athletic, he added: “We’ve expressed an interest in bring a couple of players in that we think will help the group. But there’s a little bit to go on that.

“We’ve been very careful to bring in the right character and player to this group. They are an exceptional bunch and are very together.

“We want to make sure that we’re bringing in the right people.”



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