Kieron Bowie not given service on debut as former Hibs man left frustrated in 'forgettable' Serie A snoozefest
The Scotland International was given his Italian top-flight debut for Hellas Verona against Pisa on Friday night.
In the same week that Easter Road saw a five goal-thriller, it was a much less eventful Hellas Verona debut for Kieron Bowie, who played 90 minutes of their relegation dogfight against Pisa.
In a match the £7 million man struggled to get involved in, despite Verona being at home, they only registered four shots on goal during the goalless draw, with none of them on target. There was a severe lack of goalmouth action at both ends, culminating in Serie A commentator, Simon Harding labelling the match ‘forgettable’ after the full time whistle.
Bowie’s new team currently sit bottom of the table and remain winless in their last nine league matches. Having also just sacked their manager, the lacklustre performance against Pisa shows that rapid change is needed in the north of Italy if they have any hopes of survival.
Snoozefest debut for Bowie
With Pisa one place ahead of them in the relegation zone, this was a chance for Verona to put on a statement performance in front of their own fans, however it ended up in the team getting booed off the pitch after a severe lack of creativity.
Both goalkeepers were spectators in the first half, with Hellas Verona having the lion’s share of possession, but doing very little in terms of troubling the Pisa defence. If the first 45 was bad, the second was even worse, as the hosts didn’t register a single shot and were only able to hold on to the draw thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper, Lorenzo Montipo, who made two huge saves at the death.
On a personal level, it was a frustrating night for Bowie, who uncharacteristically didn’t have any sighters at goal despite completing the game. He did however put himself about at the top end of the pitch committing three fouls and can perhaps count himself lucky to escape a booking.
Full 90 for the ex Hibee
If there are any positives Bowie can take from his debut, it’s that he did complete the full 90 minutes, giving him more than a taster for what’s to come against Serie A defences. The man who signed him, Paolo Zanetti, was sacked just three days after he signed, leaving his position in the team uncertain, however interim boss, Paolo Sammarco appears to have faith in the Scotsman.
He told Italian media before the game that he’s excited to see Bowie in action as well as fellow new addition Andrias Edmundsson, who last night became the first player ever from the Faroe Islands to feature in the Italian top flight.
Sammarco said: “They are two very interesting players who’ve done very well over these three days. Edmundsson can play in all three defensive roles; he has physicality, speed, and good technique. Bowie is well-built, quick, and attacks space very well. Both can help us”.