From public park to World Cup dream – Bowie’s rise to fame

Scottish Cup, fourth round: Dunfermline Athletic v Hibernian

Venue: East End Park, Dunfermline Date: Saturday, 17 January Time: 12:30 GMT

Coverage: Watch on BBC One Scotland & iPlayer, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app

When Kieron Bowie takes to the field against Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday, it will be a reminder to one of Fife’s finest talents of where his blossoming football career began in the humblest of surroundings.

The 23-year-old Hibernian and Scotland striker started at Dunfermline’s biggest local rivals, Raith Rovers, with whom he says he owes a great debt of gratitude to current Falkirk manager John McGlynn.

Bowie was playing public park football in his home town of Kirkcaldy before McGlynn was alerted to the teenager and instantly took him to Stark’s Park when he was in charge there.

“Until I was 16, I was just playing with my mates and stuff – and then Fife League was a thing at the time,” he recalls when anticipating the Scottish Cup fourth-round tie at East End Park.

“I was only there for a few months and then John McGlynn and [assistant] Paul Smith went in at Raith and it sort of caught their eye a little bit.”

Bowie admits he was “a raw 16-year-old” when he was told “right, you can come in twice a week from school”.

“I’d done that for the rest of the season and then, in the summer, I was like, am I going to play? Because there was no reserves or anything – and then that season I played and done all right.”

Bowie, who won his first two Scotland caps last year, was a late bloomer.

“I played for a team called Real Fife from 10 – I think I started playing quite late, nine, 10 and then, after that, I went on to Glenrothes Strollers, who a few of my mates played for, and one of their dads took the team,” he says.

“It was different, to be honest. At Real Fife in Kirkcaldy, we just played up the park. Literally.

“Everyone has their own pathway to make it in the game and it’s different to other people. People go through pro-youth academies and stuff, people go through grassroots clubs like myself.

“Everyone has a different way and, if everyone made it the same way, it’d be boring, wouldn’t it?”

Bowie’s route to the top also took a detour to London and a time on the wings before only really making the striker role his own after his move to Hibs 18 months ago.

After leaving Rovers for Fulham in 2020, he was loaned out to Northampton Town, where he was playing out of position.

“I was never an out-and-out striker,” Bowie explains. “I played on the wing when I was at Northampton on loan for two seasons, which I played almost 100 games. Imagine me on the wing, this tall lad just running about.

“Then I came here and they were like, we see you as a number nine. Just to put that belief into me, to play as a number nine and obviously I’m still young, fairly young, learning my trade. So hopefully I can just do as much as I can and progress.”

A wonder goal against Partizan Belgrade in Conference League qualifying in August brought Bowie greater attention and that has continued as he has notched up nine goals in 28 appearances so far this term.

His strength and prowess has led to speculation about interest from Celtic, Rangers and top clubs in England.

However, in this World Cup year, the Hibs striker has only one goal – and that is to try to convince national head coach Steve Clarke he is worthy of a place on the plane to the Americas.

“Anyone that’s been involved with Scotland over the last year, they’re lying if they don’t say ‘I want to be there’,” Bowie says.

“Obviously I want to be there, but I just need to focus on now and what I’m doing here and hopefully that’ll lead me to getting on that flight.

“Last summer, it was different, because it was just friendly matches. But it just sort of shows you’re not that far away.

“Obviously the level of some of the players in there, you go in and you’re like ‘oh no, am I good enough’ and you question it. You just need to tell yourself ‘I’m good enough to be here and I’ve deserved my chance’.”