Scotland has a new number nine and Steve Clarke was there to witness the real deal in action

The national team head coach was among the 19,377 sell-out crowd to witness first-hand one of the greatest ever goals scored by a Scotsman in Europe with a dipping 35-yard volley that took the breath away.

But even without the early contender for the Puskas award - yes it was that good - Bowie's gargantuan display against Partizan Belgrade will make it very difficult for Clarke to select anyone else to lead the line against Denmark when the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign gets underway in Copenhagen in three weeks time.

"What a goal. What a finish. What a player!" exclaimed co-commentator Michael Stewart as the BBC Scotland cameras beamed the stunning strike and individual performance to the nation. The former Hibs and Scotland midfielder is one of many pundits now saying the same thing - Bowie must start for Scotland.

The Stark’s spark

For those of us who have followed Bowie's journey from the very beginning, this will come as no major surprise. This writer was in the Stark's Park press box when the then 16-year-old local schoolboy made his Raith Rovers debut in a League One match against Montrose in February 2019.

Bowie would not turn professional until after completing his Higher exams a few months later - but even back then, in his first ever taste of senior football, it was clear he had enormous potential. Quick, strong, athletic, tenacious – he already had the raw elements required to meet the physical challenges of Scottish football, and the attitude to go with it.

Derek Allan, the former rector of Kirkcaldy High School, described him as "a cracking lad with a tremendous attitude,” adding, "if he shows the same attitude on the pitch as he does at school then he will be a great asset to Raith Rovers.” That sentiment now rings true for Hibs, and will do for Scotland, sooner rather than later.

Sold by Raith to Fulham less than a year after that debut, after scoring 10 times in 35 appearances, Bowie spent the next few years learning his trade in the Cottagers' academy and on two loan spells with Northampton Town.

Signed by Hibs last summer, he is only now rising to prominence due to the hamstring issues that hampered his maiden season. In spite of his initial fitness struggles, there was early evidence of his capabilities when in his first Hibs appearance - coming off the bench against Celtic last August - he outmuscled Cameron Carter-Vickers, the strongest centre-back in the Premiership, before crashing a shot off the crossbar. Now fully fit, as shown by running the Belgrade defence ragged in his 115 minutes on the pitch, and with three goals in six appearances, Bowie looks the real deal. As assessment based not only on his forward play, but also his eagerness to track back and win the ball back for his side, which got the Hibs crowd off their feet on Thursday night and will have impressed Clarke no end.

While Hibs fans will be looking forward to a full season of Bowie leading the line, the truth is the club may now face a battle to keep him beyond the end of the transfer window. Celtic and Rangers are both in the market for a striker and Bowie ticks a lot of boxes, including the Scottish one, with scouts from England no doubt filing highly complimentary reports. The reported £600,000 fee paid to Fulham already looks a bargain, and a multi-million pound bid could tempt Hibs to sell, although with Bowie tied up until 2028, there is no urgency to cash in on a player whose value will only continue to rise if his current trajectory is maintained.

Upgraded version of Dykes

Bowie's suitability to start for Scotland next month is as much about his own abilities as the alternative options at Clarke's disposal. Lyndon Dykes has been a key figure under Clarke but his club career has tailed off to the extent that he cannot get into the Birmingham City starting 11 while his goals have dried up too. His last for Scotland came in June 2023 in the famous late turnaround against Norway in Oslo. Bowie, it could be argued, has the potential to be Dykes Mk2 - an upgrade on a player with similar attributes.

Che Adams is another who Clarke has favoured in recent times, and his status as a regular starter and semi-regular scorer for Torino in Serie A cannot be ignored. But his performances for Scotland have been inconsistent at best and a hat-trick last time out against lowly Liechtenstein cannot gloss over the fact that his goals return at international level is below par.

Tommy Conway and George Hirst have both been given a chance recently, but neither are in the bracket of Scotland starters at this stage, while Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet are on the periphery.

Knowing Clarke, it would be no surprise if he opts for the experience of Dykes or Adams in Denmark, and perhaps he would be right to do so. It would be a brave call to start a player who has just one senior cap having made his Scotland debut off the bench against Liechtenstein in June in such a big match. But the Tartan Army will be willing him to unleash Bowie with the prospect of teaming up the in-form striker with the fit-again Ben Doak in attack an enticing one.

"I feel like I just need to try and put myself in that shop window, and hopefully I can keep doing that," he said of being watched by the Scotland boss while helping Hibs into the Uefa Conference League play-offs.

“As the weeks go on, I'm playing more and more games, getting into my sharpness, and I'm definitely bringing out the best in myself, and the lads are helping me do that as well.

"I feel like I'm getting there, almost fully fit now. You can see in my performances, it's not as slack as I was last season. I just need to keep ticking over, 90 minutes, 90 minutes, keep playing as much as I can, and the best will come for me.”