Kieron Bowie: London bound

Raith Rovers FC can today confirm that a pre – contract agreement has been reached with EFL Championship side Fulham for the transfer of striker Kieron Bowie (17) on 1st of July 2020.

Former Glenrothes Strollers and Fife Elite player Kieron is a lifelong Rovers supporter who attended matches with his father and grandfather – the former Kirkcaldy High School pupil was brought in to train with the first team aged 16, whilst still at secondary school.

Kieron signs on at Stark’s Park; 24/1/19

After being spotted by John McGlynn and Paul Smith playing for Fife Elite in Autumn 2018, Kieron impressed in several Reserve League East matches in 2018 and signed a Modern Apprentice contract in January 2019, extending his professional contract to June 2022 in July 2019.

The youngster made his first team debut as a sub in a 4 – 1 win over Montrose on February 23rd 2019. 2 further sub appearances followed before Kieron made his starting debut in the final SPFL League One fixture of last season at Links Park, again against Montrose.

At the start of the current season, “Ziggy” featured in all 4 pre-season Friendlies (scoring 1 goal) and all 4 League Cup group matches, scoring his first competitive goal for the club in a 3-1 victory over Peterhead.

He has found the net a further 9 times in competitive matches since then, with his most recent strike coming at home v Montrose on 25th January 2020. In total he has featured in 37 first team matches, 25 of them starts (including friendlies) for the Rovers, scoring 11 goals and contributing 5 assists for his teammates.

Goal number 10 this season v Montrose; 25/1/20

Kieron’s form has attracted the attention of several clubs around the UK this season, with a number of scouts watching him play for the Rovers. Promotion – chasing EFL Championship side Fulham have negotiated a deal to secure his signature at the end of this season.

The terms of the transfer remain confidential but involve a substantial initial payment and further payments depending on the players progress with Fulham and any future sell-on fee.

Upon signing his pre-contract, Kieron expressed his delight at signing with Fulham and paid tribute to the support Raith Rovers have given him:

“The last year or so has been a whirlwind and a dream to play and score in the first team. To now get the chance to join a club the size of Fulham is really exciting and a great opportunity to help progress my career.
 I will be forever grateful for the chance the management team have given me, so it was really important for me to finish the season with Raith. Hopefully I can repay this by helping them win the league. I’m looking forward to joining Fulham for preseason and getting started.”

Fulham Academy Director Huw Jennings added:

“We are delighted that Kieron will be joining Fulham in July. We were aware that a significant number of clubs were tracking him, and we moved very quickly last week to secure his services.
 Kieron is an exciting prospect, he is a commanding central striker for his age, he has an eye for goal and knows how to lead the line. He has an excellent temperament and is ideally suited to the Fulham way.
We are indebted to Raith Rovers for their support in enabling Kieron and his family to visit our Motspur Park training ground last Friday to help confirm the deal for July. We will work closely with John McGlynn and his team of staff at Raith Rovers during the remainder of the season where Kieron will hopefully be able to help the club secure promotion to the SPFL Championship.”

Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn shared his sentiment at working with the striker and highlighted the ‘right fit’ Fulham can provide:

“Everyone at Raith Rovers FC are delighted for Kieron who has agreed to join Fulham FC on 1st July. It has been a pleasure working and seeing Kieron develop so quickly, he has improved beyond all recognition in the last 12 months.
We’re also happy that Fulham have allowed Kieron to stay with us for the remainder of this season to continue his development. We feel it’s a great opportunity for Kieron to join a club such as Fulham who have a great history and think it will be a good fit for him.
We have already made contact with their coaching staff and look forward to working closely with them in the next few months. This connection could help us both in the future. We wish everyone at Fulham good luck in their challenge to get back to the Premier League.”

Everyone at the Rovers wish Kieron all the best in the summer but meanwhile look forward to him scoring many goals until then. Well done Ziggy!

The Rovers management and Fulham’s “Star Man” sat down with RaithTV for an extended interview to talk about his Rovers career and the move to London: