Hibs striker sent rallying cry after Kieron Bowie transfer offers new Easter Road opportunities
The former Everton and Motherwell man believes there’s now a chance for a Hibs forward to ‘step up’.
Former Scotland International James McFadden believes Kieron Bowie’s transfer to Hellas Verona gives someone else in the team the opportunity to be Hibs’ talisman, including some of the new faces.
Bowie made his move to the Serie A last week in a bumper deal, which Hibs have reinvested in the likes of Owen Elding from Sligo Rovers and Tottenham loanee Dane Scarlett, who both appeared as substitutes in Sunday’s stalemate with Rangers.
With Elie Youan looking sharp and Martin Boyle also causing Rangers problems, despite the 0-0, Hibs created numerous chances and forced Jack Butland into making several quality saves. However, the worry is, with their top scorer away, who is now going to step up to the plate to replace his goals? Scarlett looked a handful on his debut while Elding’s stock is high at League of Ireland level.
Bowie exit leaves room for a Hibs hero
Whether it’s one of the new signings or Boyle or Youan finding another gear, McFadden believes the current crop of Hibs strikers should see Bowie’s departure as an opportunity. The Scotland icon voiced his opinion on BBC Sportsound’s Scottish Football Podcast, alongside former Celtic defender Jackie McNamara.
He said: "He's moved on, they've got a really good fee. It's a brilliant deal for all involved. And it's time now for someone else to step up. When someone leaves, you look at clubs all over the world, they lose their star player, their main striker, and you feel that you're never going to be able to replace them. It's not always the case, it's never usually the case. There's always someone ready to step up and become that main striker and it just provides an opportunity for somebody else."
"Scarlett and Elding, when they came on, looked like they could be capable of causing problems. So, it's a different prospect for Hibs now. It's a different way they're going to have to line up because the players that have come in are not exactly the profile like Kieron Bowie.”
Hibs still capable of emulating last season’s winning run - McFadden
This time last season, David Gray was in the middle of a 17 game unbeaten run - 12 of which being victories. Despite showing glimpses, The Hibees haven’t shown anywhere near the same levels of consistency this time around. McFadden believes the current team has the capacity to go on a similar run.
He continued: "There was a lot to suggest that Hibs can get back to winning ways. You only look at last season, they were in such a bad place and they managed to turn that around. They managed to go on an incredible unbeaten run. That'll be difficult this season given the strength of the teams in the league but they've shown that they've got the capabilities of being hard to play against and can create chances."