Hibs ace reveals Easter Road ambition after long injury layoff and hails man who kept him 'motivated'

Hibs striker ends four months of injury hell

Entering the press room with a smile as wide as Leith Walk, it was hard not to feel the relief emanating from Hibs starlet Kieron Bowie following his return to first team football in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win over Clydebank on Saturday.

Billed as David Gray’s key summer signing, the 22-year-old was introduced slowly to the Hibs first-team having just recovered from a hamstring injury in the summer when disaster struck in early September whilst on international duty with Scotland Under-21s. A fortnight after bagging his first goal in green and white, Bowie suffered a complete tear of his hamstring tendon which ruled him out for the remainder of the calendar year.

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“I done the same thing before,” recalled Bowie. “I was trying to be positive - and then obviously the scan results come back and it’s 4c again, but you need to get an operation this time. I had only just recovered from the same injury. The gaffer was just slowly feeding me back in, then I went away with Scotland, started two games and then the same thing [happened] again.

“It’s good to be back after 18 weeks. I’m knackered now, like! Throughout my rehab, I’ve been positive and just tried to keep myself motivated, because there’s no point in being down in the dumps about anything. You’re out, and that’s it. I have to give credit to Gav [Dempsey], he’s left us now but he’s been a big part in my rehab. He’s been with me the whole time, one to one, pushing me on and motivating me everyday.”

Hibs Kieron Bowie was delighted to return from an 18-week injury layoff in the 3-0 Scottish Cup fourth round win over Clydebank.Hibs Kieron Bowie was delighted to return from an 18-week injury layoff in the 3-0 Scottish Cup fourth round win over Clydebank.
Hibs Kieron Bowie was delighted to return from an 18-week injury layoff in the 3-0 Scottish Cup fourth round win over Clydebank. | SNS Group

Tipped as a future Scotland number nine by his new boss upon his arrival, Bowie returns to a Hibs squad brimming with confidence. Rock bottom of the league at the time of his injury, Gray has masterminded a remarkable revival that has lifted Hibs into the top-half of the Premiership thanks to five wins in their last seven games, meaning the pressure for Bowie to make an immediate impact is lessened.

“It is different now,” said Bowie. “At the start when we were all struggling and bottom of the league, you just want to go out and help the lads. You feel sorry for everyone, everyone is under pressure and you want to take that pressure off their shoulders, but you can’t. You’ve just got to sit there watching every week the same thing happening again and again.

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“What are you supposed to do? You’re just there. You’re in everyday around the lads, but you don’t actually feel part of the group. They’re all going out separate to train and you’re just in the gym doing the same thing every day. Coming back on the pitch, I actually had a smile on my face because I’m just so happy to be back on the grass again. It’s just another milestone.

“I just want to play as many minutes as possible. At the start of the season I was thinking ‘let’s score this many goals’ or whatever, but now it is about getting minutes in my legs and building that match fitness up and hopefully starting a game soon. You’d rather come into a team that is doing well, than a team that is struggling. It is good to see everyone doing well, and hopefully I can make an impact.”

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