Fulham loanee Bowie called up by Scotland U21s and will be absent for Cobblers

Cobblers are set to be without Fulham loanee Kieron Bowie for at least one game later this month after he was called up by Scotland U21s.

Scott Gemmill's young side will travel to Belfast for a match on Thursday, September 22, at Danny Blanchflower Stadium in Belfast, before hosting Northern Ireland at The SMiSA Stadium in Paisley on Sunday, September 25.

The friendly matches will represent the start of a new cycle for the Under-21s and the beginning of preparations towards the next European Championship qualifying campaign, which begin next year.

It is the first time Bowie has been called up and means he will miss Northampton’s home game against Stockport on September 24. He’s also likely to be absent for the Papa John’s Trophy tie with Cambridge United on September 20.

Gemmill said: "It's a really exciting time and a big responsibility to work with largely a new group of players and give them that opportunity to maximise their potential. The time they are with us may be small but it's a really important part of their development.

"We have to get that balance right between trying to help the players develop as much as they can and push towards the full squad but at the same time, we try to be as competitive as we can be and to be competitive we have to be organised.

"These games against Northern Ireland will be excellent preparation for the competitive matches next year, and particularly for the new players, it's a chance to show them how we work and what's expected of them tactically.

"With being a Scotland youth international, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that. It's a big thing for these players coming to play for their country and the experience has to be good for them as well so we have to get everything right."

Full squad:

Elliot Anderson – Newcastle United

Kieron Bowie – Northampton Town (on loan from Fulham)

Flynn Clarke – Norwich City

Tommy Conway – Bristol City

Matthew Craig – Tottenham Hotspur

Michael Craig – Reading

Lucas De Bolle – Hamilton Academical (on loan from Newcastle United)

Adam Devine – Rangers

Josh Doig – Hellas Veronas

Ben Doak – Liverpool

Jay Hogarth – Alloa Athletic (on loan from Rangers)

Leon King – Rangers

Sam Long – Boston United (on loan from Lincoln City)

Connor McAvoy – Fulham

Cole McKinnon – Partick Thistle (on loan from Rangers)

Stuart McKinstry – Motherwell

Chris Mochrie – Dunfermline Athletic (on loan from Dundee United)

Adam Montgomery – St Johnstone (on loan from Celtic)

Josh Mulligan – Dundee

Lewis Neilson – Heart of Midlothian

Cieran Slicker – Rochdale (on loan from Manchester City)

Connor Smith – Heart of Midlothian

Rory Wilson – Aston Villa