Hibs backing for Scotland striker as boss drops 'very top' claim on star man Bowie's ultimate destination

With a Scotland cap on his CV and a clear run at the new campaign, who knows where the ceiling is for a talent like Kieron Bowie? When Hibs boss David Gray speaks supportively about his player’s ambitions to reach “the very top” of football, he’s not just throwing around kind words.

Despite making a delayed and then interrupted start to his Easter Road career last season, Bowie impressed enough of the right people to become an almost instant hit on his return to Scottish football. The former Raith Rovers striker, who cost Hibs in the region of £600,000 when they signed him from Premier League club Fulham last summer, fully deserved his first call-up to Steve Clarke’s national team squad.

Having previously starred for the Scotland Under-21s, Bowie may only have been handed a dozen or so minutes of game time over the senior side’s two end-of-season friendlies. Kept on the bench for the home loss to Iceland, he barely got a chance to impress as a late substitute in the ritual dismemberment of Liechtenstein in Vaduz.

Now that he’s broken into the group ahead of those looming World Cup qualifiers, however, the 22-year-old will be eager to retain his place. And that can only benefit Hibs, who still managed to squeeze half a dozen goals out of Bowie despite his limited role last season.

“He will massively benefit from this pre-season,” said Gray, the former club captain adding: “We're looking forward to doing that.

“He has got the right attitude and desire to make sure that he does absolutely everything properly. You've seen that in his rehab.

“Because he has got aspirations to get right to the very top. And he's got all the attributes to try and do that.

“Yes, it's great for him that he got to play for Scotland. I think everybody sees that the way he plays. He's a real handful.

Bowie, Boyle, Miller, Iredale and Triantis all chasing World Cup dream

“He really enjoys that physical side of the game and I think he’s really suited to playing in Scotland.

“The fans here obviously took to him really well because of that. He works his socks off. And as you've touched on, it was a slow start in terms of getting that injury. That really set him back a little bit considering he'd been out for a length of time previous to that.

“All of the international boys have been given extra time off. You need that rest, you need that recovery just to switch off. Or it becomes a very long season. It almost feels like the season never ends.

“I think Martin Boyle was in that position last year when he was playing, or maybe two years ago, where he never really had an off-season. You want to make sure that when they start the season, when they come back, they're fresh, they're ready to go.

“We're certainly doing that with the international boys because they won't decondition as much because they've been going for a lot longer. But you also need to make sure they don't burn out as well - and make sure we're all in the best physical space we can be and be prepared for the first competitive game, which clearly will be the 24th of June.”

Stand-in skipper Boyle chasing century of goals after contract extension

Boyle and Bowie head into the new season as Gray’s first-choice strike pairing, based on form, fitness and performances over the closing stretch of a campaign that saw Hibs finish third in the Scottish Premiership. The club are looking for at least one more forward to bolster the front line – and could sign a second striker, depending on availability and other factors.

Dwight Gayle’s retirement and former loan striker Mykola Kuharevich securing a move to Slovan Bratislava leaves Hibs short of bodies in attack. Elie Youan, meanwhile, hasn’t started a game since the Boxing Day win over Hearts at Tynecastle, with toe and knee problems plaguing the French attacker over the second half of the season.

Bowie, who arrived at East Mains nursing a previous hamstring problem, put together impressive figures when you consider how long he spent on the sidelines. He hadn’t even started a game for Hibs when back-to-back starts for the Scotland Under-21s in September led to him picking up a more serious hamstring injury.

The young talent went under the knife within days of sustaining the injury, spending the thick end of four months in rehab before being eased back into competitive action. Having already broken his duck with a goal against Dundee earlier in the campaign, he banged in another five goals from just half a dozen starts as Hibs stormed into third place with something to spare.

Bowie and Boyle both scored in the final game of the season, a 2-2 home draw with Rangers played out in a party mood at Easter Road. For the stand-in skipper, the occasion was made extra special by the fact that an extension clause in his contract had been triggered just a day or so before the grand finale to an eventful campaign.

Boyle, who also suffered two major injury set-backs during the season, had his best-ever season in front of goal for Hibs, hitting the net 20 times as he took his tally for the club to 99 goals. No prizes for guessing the Socceroos star’s first target once the new campaign kicks off.

The veteran attacker, who deputised for injured club captain Joe Newell for most of the season, followed up his efforts for Hibs – chipping in 11 assists to go with the 20 goals – by playing a key role for Australia as they secured qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Lewis Miller was also involved in the crucial qualification wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia, while fellow Hibees Jack Iredale and Nectar Triantis had both been called up to the pre-qualifier training camp by Socceroos boss Tony Popovic.

Hibs boss Gray said he was thrilled to see the Aussies get over the line to secure their place at the finals. He even hopes to yield a benefit as players are given an extra incentive to perform at club level between now and the World Cup.

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“Oh, 100 per cent,” he said, adding: “It's a fantastic achievement. I've never been fortunate enough to represent my country at the senior level, but I think that's the pinnacle of your career.

“If you can go to the World Cup as well, I think that's a fantastic achievement. Credit to them for how well they've done.

“There's players that will be ambitious to try and stay in that squad, and I think to do that, you need to be playing week in, week out. So I think it should be an exciting season ahead for everybody involved because of that.”

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