Biography
Attacking wideman Josh Bowler joined City in July 2019 on a season long loan from Everton. The opening spell of his time at City was spent as impact substitute, becoming an occasional starter during the late Autumn months when he also scored his first goal in black and amber, a thumping drive at Fulham after controlling the ball with his mush. As time went on his pace and trickery increasingly led him down blind alleys, opponents no doubt becoming wise to his technique, and he drifted in and out of the side. His season was unfortunately summed up when he was hooked after half an hour to make way for defenders in City’s 0-8 thumping at Wigan, a chilling prelude to the Tigers’ relegation to League 1.
Joshua Luke Bowler hailed from Surrey and came through the youth team system at Queens Park Rangers after spells at Fulham and Aldershot. He made his first team debut for the Rs in May 2017, weeks before he moved to Everton for a £4m fee. In both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons he played in all three Football League Trophy fixtures for Everton’s Under-21 side, before his season long move at Hull.
Josh was not involved in first team action during the 2020/21 season and on expiry of his Everton contract in June 2021 he joined Blackpool, newly promoted to the Championship alongside his former club Hull City. At Bloomfield Road he, well, bloomed and quickly became regarded as one of the division’s most potent attacking forces. In the 2021/22 season he scored eight goals in 45 appearances and attracted the attention of several clubs. After adding a further two goals in 7 appearances for Blackpool at the start of the 2022/23 season Bowler left for newly promoted Premier League side Nottingham Forest on Augsut transfer deadline day.
Within days of his transfer to Nottingham Forest Bowler was loaned out to Greek Super League side Olympiacos, two sides that share the same Greek owner. He made his Olympiacos debut in a September 2022 Europa League tie against French side FC Nantes and made a total of 7 senior appearances for the Athens side before his loan was terminated in early January 2023, enabled him to rejoin Championship strugglers Blackpool on loan for the remainder of the season. He scored two goals in 19 appearances as Blackpool were relegated to League One.
In August 2023 Josh was loaned to Championship side Cardiff City for the 2023/24 season, a move he celebrated by scoring on his debut against Leeds United – he ended his season in South Wales with five goals in 39 appearances. In August 2024 he was on the move again, joining Championship side Preston North End on another season-long loan.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 5 March 1999, Chertsey
Hull City First Game: 3 August 2019, Swansea City A (Championship), 20 years, 151 days old
Hull City Final Game: 14 July 2020, Wigan Athletic A (Championship), 21 years, 131 days old
Clubs
Queens Park Rangers (2016-2017), Everton (2017-2021), Hull City (2019-2020, loan), Blackpool (2021-2022), Nottingham Forest (2022-current), Olympiacos (2022-2023, loan), Blackpool (2023, loan), Cardiff City (2023-2024, loan), Preston North End (2024-2025, loan)
Hull City Record
Career: 31 apps, 1 goals
Josh BowlerSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019/20 | 11 (17) | 1 | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - |