Bowman vows he won’t

He was accused of threatening Celtic starlet Kieran Tierney’s career with one tackle.

And of leaving Rangers defender Fabio Cardoso looking as if he had been SHOT.

Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers certainly didn’t hold back when he took a verbal swipe at Motherwell striker Ryan Bowman for his part in both controversies.

But on the eve of the Betfred Cup Final, the big frontman has had his say. And the 25-year-old is adamant he’s NOT a dirty player.

Bowman hasn’t spoken since Well’s semi-final win over Rangers when his elbow on Cardoso left the Portuguese defender with a smashed-up nose.

In the af termath, Rodgers chipped in and slated Bowman for a challenge on Scotland ace Tierney in February, which the Hoops boss claims could have caused lasting damage. The former Gateshead comment on individuals but a lot of people have labelled me a dirty player. If you look at my stats, I’ve never been sent off for that before.

“I’ve also only been booked once since the semi-final. “So I’m not a dirty player. “If you watch worldwide football, you see strikers go up and use their arms for leverage.

“I’ve been a bit unlucky with what has gone on.

“The criticism affected me in my first game after Rangers, a few days later against Dundee.

“For my first aerial challenge, it was in my head. I had to deal with it. You have to try to forget it and play your own game.

“But I did think about it on the pitch against Dundee.

“For the first time going up, I needed to concentrate and get it right. Thankfully, it’s no longer on