BowmanmissesMoult but can still strike fear
ONE step forward, two steps back. That has seemed to be the way of Ryan Bowman’s career with Motherwell to date.
After playing a bit-part role last season under Mark McGhee for the most part, Bowman finally looked to have become an integral component of the Fir Park side this term due to the prolific partnership he enjoyed with Louis Moult.
Then came the semi-final of the Betfred Cup, an afternoon that Bowman should remember for all the right reasons after helping to beat Rangers to reach the final.
No sooner had the celebrations died down though than the knives were out for the big striker, whose flailing – but accidental – elbow on Fabio Cardoso saw him cast as a villain. He admits that the press attention, and the comments from other managers such as Brendan Rodgers, affected him on and off the field.
After putting that behind him, his strike partner was then sold to Preston. As Curtis Main and Nadir Ciftci arrived to bolster the attack in January, Bowman’s chances of fighting to keep his place were hit as he broke his eye socket following a collision with Charles Dunne in training.
In amongst all of this, Bowman has bagged seven goals, and maintained his optimism he can re-establish himself in the frontline. “It’s like starting from scratch again with Louis gone,” Bowman said. “With Curtis and Nadir coming in there’s a whole new partnership and they’re doing well at the minute, so I’ve got to be patient and work myself back into the team. “A few players have said that me and Curtis would look good together up front so if that chance comes we’ve got to take it.”
AND the fallout from the semi-final? “When I say it had an effect on me it was at the start of games when I was thinking about it,” he said. “But once I got going on the pitch I would forget about it.
“My bookings have gone up ever since that. I’ve had four or five yellows since that game and I think that’s because referees are going to be switched on and looking out for me more than they were before the comments.
“In the first game after the semi-final against Dundee I noticed it a lot. Every time I went up the players were on the floor.
“Whether the manager has told them to do that, I don’t know, but it’s part and parcel of the game. The dark arts of football.”
If one game would suit Bowman’s set of skills, then surely today’s trip to take on Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton would be it.
“All the boys are looking forward to it,” he said. “We know what to expect. It’s going to be a real battle, a proper scrap.”