Scotland striker on Hibs comeback, isolation of rehab and 'feeling part of team again' - Bowie opens up

He’s counted every day of the 18 weeks. Four months, plus change, spent feeling like a semi-detached member of a Hibs squad digging themselves out of a very deep hole.

Now that Kieron Bowie is back from the ruptured hamstring that required major surgery back in September, he’s determined to enjoy every minute. The Scotland Under-21 striker is ready to make a contribution every bit as full as his recovery.

Bowie, a £600,000 summer signing who was being nursed back from a previous hamstring problem through a series of substitute appearances for Hibs, pulled up after starting back-to-back games for the 21s. It was the beginning of a very difficult time for the kid from Kirkcaldy.

The former Raith Rovers and Fulham forward, thrilled to get a good half hour as a second-half substitute in yesterday’s 3-0 Scottish Cup win at home to Clydebank, admitted: “Obviously now it's different, because we're winning a lot of games and we're so many unbeaten. But right after the injury, when we're all struggling and we're at the bottom of the league, you just want to go out and help the lads and you just feel sorry for everyone. Everyone's under pressure, you just want to take that pressure off their shoulders, but you can't do that.

“You're just sat watching every week the same thing happening again and again. You're just there, like, what are you supposed to do?

“You're just in every day around the lads, but you don't actually feel a part of the group because you're just separate. They're all going out to train, and you're just in the gym, just doing the same thing, repetitive every day.”

Recalling the moment when he pulled up during a 5-0 win over Malta, Bowie said: “I had only just recovered from the same injury, and then obviously the gaffer was just slowly feeding me back in. Then I went away with Scotland, started two games and the same thing happens again

“Because obviously I'd done the same thing before, at the time, I was just sort of trying to be positive, and I was like, nah, it's not as bad. And then obviously, scan results come back, and it's 4C, the same thing, but you need to get an operation this time.

“It's not really the news you want to hear, but you've just got to deal with it. So hopefully now that's fingers crossed, touch wood, that's everything sorted, and that's us done.

“Everyone deals with it differently and throughout my whole rehab I've sort of been positive and just try to keep myself motivated. Because there's no point in being down in the dumps about anything, you're out and that's it.

Bowie got immediately back in the thick of the action. | SNS Group

“So you've just got to get on with it until you're back playing, and you get the rewards when you're back fit. Compared to the last time, I definitely feel like I can definitely go 100% and it'll be reliable.

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“It's a really good feeling, coming back on the pitch, I had a smile on my face, just to actually be on the grass again, even if it was half an hour, even if it was like five, ten minutes. To be back out there it's like another milestone, it's just another tick, and we just need to keep ticking them off.”

Revealing that he’d actually returned ahead of schedule, Bowie explained: “The surgeon said 20 weeks, it's 18 weeks now so it's two weeks early. But I've done that in my whole rehab.

“We thought this game would be a good game just because obviously it's a lesser opposition and if we're a couple goals up then I'd be able to get minutes, rather than it being my first game back being Aberdeen at home. That would definitely be a lot tougher opposition and higher intensity.”

There’s so much excitement about Bowie’s return, not least among supporters who roared him onto the pitch with the home side already three goals up, that it might be necessary to temper some of the expectations surrounding a player who has serious ambitions to force his way into Steve Clarke’s senior Scotland squad. Mature for his years, the man himself isn’t getting carried away.

“I just want to play as many minutes as possible right now, that's the main focus,” he said, adding: “At the start of the season I was like, I want to score this amount of goals or whatever, but now it's just about getting minutes in my legs and building that match fitness and hopefully starting the game soon.

“You'd rather come into a team that's doing well than one that's struggling and relying on you too much. So it's good to see everyone doing well - and hopefully I can make an impact.”