From West of Scotland League to Premiership - how striker manifested 'dream' goalscoring moment
Josh Fowler scored the opening goal for St Johnstone in his first match as a top flight player against Kilmarnock.
There are plenty of roads that lead to fulfilling the dream of becoming a top flight footballer in Scotland and some are certainly more conventional than others.
It would be fair to mark Josh Fowler’s journey in the “unconventional” category after the 24-year-old announced his Scottish Premiership arrival with the opening goal in St Johnstone’s 4-3 win over Kilmarnock. It was a moment four years in the making for the striker, who was on the radar of Kilmarnock and Motherwell back in 2022.
Both clubs decided to pass on the opportunity to sign the forward from West of Scotland side Beith Juniors and Fowler made the decision to head for the Middle East. He played for Gulf United and Dubai City in the United Arab Emirates either side of a short spell in Australia before returning to Scotland with Queen’s Park last summer.
St Johnstone striker explains ‘surreal’ journey from West of Scotland league to Scottish Premiership via Dubai
Fowler hit the ground running with five goals in the Spiders’ four League Cup group stage games before bringing his total to 19 in all competitions by the end of January. Plenty of clubs were linked with his services but it was title chasing St Johnstone who managed to poach him from their Championship rivals.
Although the former Johnstone Burgh player only managed to score two league goals for the Perth side he was still a key part of their push to winning the division and bringing them back to the top flight at the first time of asking. Now, four years on from being passed over by Premiership clubs, Fowler is ready to make his mark against Scottish football’s heavyweights.
He said: “It’s a bit surreal. I’ve kind of manifested this moment – playing at Beith three years ago and then scoring in the Premiership, live on Sky Sports.
“It is a crazy story, I won’t lie, but I’ve worked so hard to get here and I want to take full advantage of this opportunity. I deserve to be here.
“When I came back from Dubai I wondered what the step-up would be playing in the Championship, this couldn’t have ben further from my mind. I’ve been scoring goals and building up my confidence since then and I know this where I should be.”
Fowler added that Saints manager Simo Valakari has played an important part in getting him where he is now as a top flight goal scorer. The Finn is beloved not just at the Perth club but across the city and it’s easy to see why the way his players speak about him.
‘The gaffer loves me and he backs me 100 percent’ - Simo Valakari’s role in getting Fowler to the top flight
“The main thing is the gaffer loves me and he backs me 100 percent,” said Fowler. “He tells me all the time how much he believes in me.
“He signed me for a reason. He told me I’d be starting when the Premiership came round and he was true to his word.
“He’s trusted me and left me out there for nearly the full 90 minutes, hopefully a goal and an assist have paid him back. The most important thing for a player, not just a striker, is having a manager who believes in you.
“We know the quality we’ve got in that dressing room, we won the Championship for a reason and we’re all back here for a reason. We’ve proven in that game that we can compete in this league.”
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