A wave of optimism amongst the Hibs supporters following a hectic transfer window has turned to despair after the news that big money signing Kieron Bowie had suffered a serious injury playing for Scotland Under 21s.
The talented 21-year-old striker put pen to paper on a four-year deal from English Premier League side Fulham much to the delight of the Hibs fans.
Bowie had several options on the table but chose Hibs and almost made a scoring debut after coming off the bench against Celtic at Easter Road, but his powerful effort rebounded off the bar.
His first goal came against Dundee at Easter Road and looked to have secured the three points but a late equaliser from former Hibs player Simon Murray spoiled the celebrations.
Despite that, Bowie has already done enough to impress not only the Hibs faithful but also Scotland U21 manager Scott Gemmill.
He started twice in five days for the Scotland Under-21s, playing 56 minutes of a 2-1 loss to Spain at Tynecastle before he was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring issue during the first half of Scotland’s 5-0 victory over Malta.
Initially it was thought that he could be out for up to six weeks, but further scans revealed that Bowie had suffered a serious hamstring injury and will be out for at least four months.
Hibs Head Coach, David Gray broke the news: “First of all, I am gutted for Kieron. I know how hard he worked to come back from his previous injury and how desperate he’s been to impress after joining us, which is something he’s certainly done.
“Given his injury history we were conscious of managing his minutes at the start of the season, despite the temptation to play him more because of the positive start he made.
“With that in mind, it makes it even more frustrating that he has picked up a significant injury during this period.
“Now it’s up to us to rally around him, support him with his recovery and make sure he has everything he needs to come back stronger, which I’m sure he will.”
Gray wasted no time in signing a replacement, experienced forward Dwight Gayle on a one-year deal running until the summer of 2025.
Gayle has had an illustrious career to date, with over 300 senior appearances and spending seven campaigns in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace and Newcastle United.
The striker – who has an eye for goal – has two promotions under his belt and has scored over 100 goals – the majority of which have come in the English Premier League and Championship.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
