Hibs UEFA Conference League ambition built around 'nightmare' striker with World Cup hopes
Ex-Fulham forward Kieron Bowie - created in Scotland, perfect for European football
A physical freak with a maturity well beyond his years, Kieron Bowie’s value to this Hibs team should be obvious to anyone who has ever watched a game of football. Partizan boss Srdjan Blagojevic identifying the Scotland forward and strike partner Martin Boyle as the biggest threats to his team tomorrow night hardly earns the experienced Serbian coach a merit award for tactical insight, given the damage done by the pair in Belgrade last week.
But it would be wrong – lazy, even – to dismiss the 22-year-old Bowie as merely some old-fashioned monster of a target man, perfectly suited to the blood and thunder of the Scottish game. In the European arena, Bowie is more than proving his worth.
“I could only imagine me as a defender having to play against him; it would be a nightmare and be so frustrating,” said David Gray, the Hibs boss – a former fullback – referencing Sunday’s clash with Kilmarnock as he added: “You saw at the weekend, no matter how many times you kick him and not matter how many times he got thumped, he was back up again, and he just really enjoys that side to it.
Youngster ‘like a 30-year-old man sometimes’ - David Gray
“He's getting better all the time as well. You forget the size of him, physicality, and even how he lives his life.
“You’d think he was a 30-year-old man sometimes, the way he goes about! He’s settled, he's got kids, he's got a dog, he's really got his feet on the ground, which is fantastic.
“He is striving to be better every day, which I see all the time. And benefiting from being fit and playing all the time and enjoying football, which is the key thing.”
Hibs hold two-goal lead over Partizan with play-off at stake
Boyle’s double at the Partizan Stadion last week, taking his goal tally for the club to a spectacular 101, gives Gray’s men a clear advantage going into tomorrow night’s return leg at Easter Road. At stake is a UEFA Conference League play-off against Legia Warsaw, almost certainly, with the Poles 4-1 down to Cypriot side Larnaca in their Europa League qualifier.
Insisting that Bowie’s skillset makes him equally adept to whatever challenge he may face in UEFA competition, Gray explained: “Definitely. Because he’s not just a big battering ram, you see the quality he's got as well.
“He uses his body well. He's got a good left foot. He's got, you know, a lot of really good attributes which is again why you would you look to have him in your squad for what he gives you - and a good work ethic.
“So I think all in all he's been a very good addition to the group. And another one who is a really good character and settled in really well.
“And as you said there about playing in Europe, different players playing against different styles and what that looks like. Which gives us something different to play with.”
Hibs have directly benefited from the dozen minutes Bowie was given by Scotland boss Steve Clarke in a low-key summer friendly thrashing of Liechtenstein. Having impressed with the under-21s, the former Fulham and Raith striker now harbours realistic ambitions of leading the line for the senior team in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers; he’s certainly at least one of several contenders for a traditional problem position.
Fully fit after undergoing surgery to repair a hamstring problem sustained on international duty with the 21s last season, Bowie actually limped out of Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Killie at Easter Road after one thunderous collision too many. But he trained today and is expected to be in the starting XI alongside Boyle, who started the Kilmarnock game on the bench.
“We always said Kieron would really benefit from a run of fitness, a really good pre-season,” said Gray, who clearly loves having an all-international strike force at his disposal, the former club captain adding: “I've already mentioned this before, but during the summer getting Scotland recognition and what that does for your confidence as a player, especially when you think about the players that played in that position for Scotland over the years.
“I think it would be a dream for him as a young boy growing up to go and try and represent a country, especially as a No. 9. I think that's something that would be right at the very top of his list.
“So to be thought of in that way would give him loads of confidence. And we've definitely seen that at the start of the season. He's enjoying his football, he’s working hard, and I keep saying that there's a lot more to come.
“Martin Boyle has always delivered for the football club; he's always been a threat at this level. We've seen that and even on the international stage with Australia, how important he is for them and how effective he can be.”