Fowler says winning promotion with Queen of the South would top Cup success against Celtic

JAMES Fowler knows what it feels like to upset the odds. It is just three years since he experienced the high point of an understated but effective playing career, wearing the captain’s armband as Kilmarnock shocked Celtic at Hampden to win the League Cup final.
James Fowler: Successful season. Picture: SNSJames Fowler: Successful season. Picture: SNS
James Fowler: Successful season. Picture: SNS

At the age of just 34, Fowler now has his sights firmly fixed on marking his fledgling managerial career with a feat he believes would eclipse that glory day he enjoyed with the Rugby Park club.

Since replacing Jim McIntyre as Queen of the South boss last September, Fowler has impressed with his work in leading the Dumfries club into the play-offs where they are the rank outsiders behind Rangers, Hibs and the second-bottom placed side in the Premiership.

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Ahead of tonight’s quarter-final first leg against Rangers at Palmerston, Fowler has no doubts about the size of the task facing him. “To get promoted with Queens would probably be a bigger achievement than winning the League Cup with Kilmarnock over the piece,” he reflected.

“If we can get past Rangers, we know we then have Hibs and then a Premiership team. Overall, the season has been a real success for us already and we now have potentially another six games. It would be massive if we could get through them.

“The ambition of the club all season has been to finish in the top four. Because I’m a young manager, people maybe thought I wouldn’t have the experience necessary. But the group of players at the club have been excellent on and off the pitch for me. We have achieved what we set out to do.

“There have been some big games this season but the players have dealt with that, although this is a different scenario now.

“This is about how you deal with two games but we are trying to treat it as a normal game and make sure we are going into the second leg with a positive result.

“Rangers are a quality team and we need to make sure we don’t chase the game if we go behind. We are confident we can go to Ibrox, put on a performance and get a result as well.

“We have been overlooked a bit all season in terms of promotion. We weren’t really mentioned and that is just natural when you have Rangers, Hearts and Hibs in the league.

“They get more press attention plus there was Falkirk too who went on a good run. But we were still there in the top four and I think, over the piece, we deserve that.

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“People are taking note now but we like flying under the radar – it is good for the club and the players deserve the praise and credit they are getting right now.

“The club is well run and everything is good. We have income streams coming off the pitch too, so they are really moving forward. Hopefully, we can do that on the pitch as well.”

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, Fowler has established a reputation as one of Scottish football’s brightest young managerial prospects.

“I was thinking more about going into coaching at first,” he said. “But when the opportunity came to manage Queens, it was very difficult to turn down.

“Management is very stressful, there’s no doubt about it. I am conscious it’s my first job, so I want to make sure I am putting in maximum effort and getting the results. It means I don’t see as much of my wife and kids as I would like.

“But it has been a great learning curve so far and I am picking up new things every day in the job. I’m enjoying it and the players have been a massive help in making it a success so far.”