Kieron Bowie has confessed that he was an angry man during the Nations League match against North Macedonia in Skopje despite scoring his first goal for Scotland and ensuring the national team avoided an unwanted record.
Former Raith Rovers and Hibernian striker Bowie broke the deadlock in the seventh minute of the Group B1 match in the National Arena Todor Proeski on Saturday evening when he fired beyond Valencia keeper Stole Dimitrievski from outside the penalty box.
It was a proud moment for the 6ft 4in 24-year-old, who was winning just his fifth cap for his country and making only his second start, and he celebrated with his team mates in fitting fashion.
His stunning strike ended a four game goalless drought for Scotland and meant they did not become the first side in their entire 154 year history to go five matches without finding the target.
However, the Sassuolo player, who also won the penalty that John McGinn converted late on with a shot that Rangers forward Bojan Miovski handled, admitted that he was unhappy not to capitalise on more of the chances which the visitors, who dominated from kick-off to the final whistle, created in the final third.
“When you’re a young player, you dream of playing for your country,” he said as he looked ahead to the rematch with Slovenia at Hampden tomorrow evening. “To do that and score too just felt unreal.
“I could have scored against Slovenia. The game the other night against Switzerland at Hampden was short-lived. But I got another chance and managed to repay the manager’s faith by getting a goal. I probably scored with my hardest chance I’ve had! But that probably sums up life as a striker.
“Before the game I was speaking to a few of the lads and we talked about how we needed to get an early goal (Scotland had to net in the opening 25 minutes to avoid the longest barren run in their history). It felt good to get it in the seventh minute because it settled us down into the game and helped the game plan.
“You want to start fast and score as early as possible in every game. Obviously that’s difficult against certain teams, but thankfully we managed to do it in this game. Having so many quality players in your position means you need to prove yourself in training every day. You need to be on your game and I just see it as an added challenge.”
“But there were other chances I could have taken against North Macedonia which left me feeling quite angry. I also had a few chances in the 20 minutes I played in Slovenia. But I feel if I get longer on the pitch I can definitely score a goal. Thankfully I got one.
“Everyone says you should score, but I’ve not played a lot. I’ve not got a lot of minutes for Scotland, but I have managed to get my first goal so I’m happy with that.”
Bowie was substituted after just 11 minutes of the Nations League meeting with Switzerland – his first start for Scotland - last week when centre-half Jack Hendry was red carded.
He understood the reason why manager Sebastien Pocognoli took him off – but he was pleased to make amends against North Macedonia and open his account at international level.
“Obviously as a player you feel gutted,” he said. “But you also know it’s for the good of the team. You need to sacrifice yourself sometimes and these things happen. It was the first time it’s happened to me, but you just need to get off and keep your head high. It’s not your fault so you just need to handle it. Being a team, you have to stick together.”
Bowie impressed the Tartan Army with his performance up front against Slovenia despite the chance he missed and was one of the best players on the park against North Macedonia.
The Kirkcaldy-born player believes that moving to Italy – he joined Hellas Verona in a Hibs record €6m transfer in January and then joined Sassuolo in a €7m switch July – and competing in Serie A has made him a better footballer.
“A lot of Scottish fans maybe just remember me from my time in Scotland for Hibs, even though I wasn’t there very long,” he said. “But I feel that since I’ve gone to Italy I’ve improved my game a lot. There are a lot of top defenders in that league so I’ve had to adapt and learn how to play to my strengths.
“I’ve had to be a bit smarter, be a bit more street smart. I think that’s been a big thing for me and my improvement in that league. International football brings a bit of added pressure too. Everyone from the country is watching you so that makes it a step up, more than the actual quality.”
Bowie netted his first Serie A goal in a 3-2 victory over Juventus last month – but for him the strike against North Macedonia was even sweeter.
“I thought the one against Juventus was the winner at the time,” he said. “But this Scotland goal is better. I like to keep most of my jerseys. No doubt my dad will be asking for one, but he got my last one. I like to keep a few, just as a memento and will maybe hang on this one.”
