Hibernian’s Kieron Bowie tipped for big things after European wonder goal

David Gray predicted there is still “a lot more to come” from Kieron Bowie after the burgeoning Scotland forward’s wonder goal in Hibernian’s dramatic Conference League triumph over Partizan Belgrade.

The 22-year-old, who made his full international debut in June, continued his strong start to the campaign with what opposition manager Srdjan Blagojevic described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” strike.

With the ball bouncing in the Partizan half, Bowie launched an incredible strike into the air from more than 30 yards out that dipped perfectly under Marko Milosevic’s crossbar to put Hibs 3-2 ahead on their way to a 4-3 aggregate victory.

The striker was badly hindered by injury in his first season at Easter Road but given his form this summer, there is a growing clamour for him to lead the Scotland attack in next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Belarus.

Hibs boss Gray said: “I’m delighted for him on a personal level because of what he’s been through. He’s had a lot of praise recently, deservedly so, but he’s been through a lot as well with two really long-term injuries.

“To then do what he’s doing now, he fully deserves it. And there’s a lot more to come for Kieran Bowie, which is a real positive for everybody.

“With his appetite and his hunger, he’s a bit of a throwback in how he plays centre-forward. That makes him difficult to play against and then he’s got the quality when he’s in these positions.”

Gray also praised the character of Jordan Smith after the goalkeeper recovered from two mistakes in the first half to produce a string of big saves later in the game.

The Englishman was jeered by sections of the Hibs support after the second of his errors allowed Partizan to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate but his manager had no doubts about his ability to remain in the firing line in such a high-stakes fixture.

“No, I never considered taking him off,” said Gray. “I know his character, I know him as a person. I spoke to him at half-time and he held his hands up straight away.

“He’s been so consistent, he’s been so reliable during difficult times. You think about when he made his debut for the club, it was in a difficult time when that position was under real scrutiny.

“And then he made a mistake that night (against Aberdeen in November) but he’s gone on and done what he’s done. He is a calming influence, his character is really strong.

“I had no doubts about Smudge in the second half. What he does then is, he doesn’t take any risks. He didn’t overplay, he didn’t put himself in positions again. He simplified his game and made some big saves.

“I’m delighted for him because we could have gone out off the back of a couple of mistakes but he certainly wouldn’t have deserved that for his level of performance and contribution over the last nine months he’s been in the team.”