Kieron Bowie cannot wait to embark on his giant adventure with Fulham.
The Raith Rovers wonderkid is gearing up for a life-changing move to London after Fulham thrashed out a £150,000 deal for the precocious forward.
While the transfer was agreed in January, he will formally join the Cottagers in June – capping a truly remarkable rise from the Fife Elite Football Academy to English Championship giants in the space of a whirlwind 18 months.
He will primarily be seen as an academy prospect at Fulham but there will be scope for Bowie, on occasion, to work under Craven Cottage boss Scott Parker and share a training pitch with star names like Aleksandar Mitrovic, Stefan Johansen and Tom Cairney.
Nevertheless, he admits that the biggest upheaval will be swapping sleepy Kirkcaldy for bustling London.
Speaking about the switch to Fulham for the first-time, Bowie said: “It’s an exciting mix – I’m really looking forward to it but it’s only natural that there are some nerves as well.
“It’s a big upheaval aged 17, moving away from home for the first time and adapting to a new club and country.
“It’ll be my first time away from my parents, so there’s the usual things like cooking and cleaning and living on your own that you need to get your head round.
“Plus there’s the fact that London is a wee bit different from Kirkcaldy! It’s bigger, louder, faster and, after growing up in a Scottish town, it’ll be strange living down there. But you’ve got to be excited; got to embrace it.
“Regardless of what city I’m in, my main focus will be on the training pitch and I’ll be looking to make a positive impression.
“The idea of working under a guy like Scott Parker and getting a few sessions with players like [Aleksandar] Mitrovic is amazing. I can’t wait. My time at Raith has been a dream and there’s still part of me pinching myself that I’ve got this opportunity.”
Before saying farewell, Bowie’s intention was to fire John McGlynn’s men to the League One title – they lead Falkirk by a point – and win lift the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup final against Inverness, which was due to take place on Saturday.
However, he is now facing up to the increasing likelihood that he may have played his last game for the club amid major doubts regarding whether the 2019/20 campaign will be completed. Should that prove to be the case, it would leave the precocious attacker with a pang of regret. Bowie rued: “If I don’t play for Raith Rovers again, this would be a rubbish way to end things. “I owe the club so much, they’ve given me so many opportunities and I wanted to finish on a real high by winning the league and lifting that trophy.
