Josh Bowler was pleased to open his goal account in a Hull City shirt in Saturday’s 2-2 pre-season stalemate at Doncaster Rovers. The 20-year-old winger fired home from close-range in the dying stages to earn a draw for Grant McCann’s side after Jackson Irvine’s early opener had been cancelled...
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JOSH BOWLER WAS PLEASED TO OPEN HIS GOAL ACCOUNT IN A HULL CITY SHIRT IN SATURDAY’S 2-2 PRE-SEASON STALEMATE AT DONCASTER ROVERS.
The 20-year-old winger fired home from close-range in the dying stages to earn a draw for Grant McCann’s side after Jackson Irvine’s early opener had been cancelled out by Madger Gomes and James Coppinger goals for the League One hosts.
“It feels good to have scored my first goal in a Hull City shirt,” he said.
“I saw ‘Batts’ was shaping to shoot, so I Just gambled and followed in because anything can happen in the box. Luckily, the ball deflected and fell kindly at my feet and I was composed enough to slot it past the keeper.
“It’s nice to be off the mark and hopefully I can get more when the season starts because that’s when it really matters – when the competitive action gets underway.
“I just want to be an asset to the team and help us pick up positive results. I’ve come here to learn and progress on a personal level, but also to be a real team player. If I can chip in with goals and assists to have a positive impact on the side, I’ll be delighted.”
Bowler conceded the end result in the Tigers’ final pre-season friendly wasn’t important – with the match minutes, fitness and sharpness gained what mattered the most – but the on-loan Everton youngster was pleased with the character and resilience shown by the team in order to avoid defeat at the Keepmoat Stadium.
“There were phases of the game that we were really happy with and phases that we weren’t too happy with,” he added.
“But, we showed good resilience to keep going at the end to get the draw. It’s a good trait to have because it won’t be the last time we need a goal late on to get a result – win or draw – this season. It’s good to get that mentality installed into the group because it will only help us in what is a long Championship season.
“Results aren’t the most important thing in pre-season but you never want to lose any game. It was another good work-out for us though and the main focus was getting the minutes in and getting the gaffer’s philosophy nailed down ahead of the trip to Swansea on the opening day of the season.”