Bournemouth defender Josh Gowling admits he will have something to prove when he returns to West Brom for the first time since being released by the club when the Cherries travel to the Hawthorns in the first round of the Carling Cup. Kevin Bond's men were paired against Albion in the draw earlier this week and will visit the Black Country during the week commencing August 13th. Gowling enjoyed a fine end to the season last term, after being sidelined for nine months with a serious knee injury, and in March he was voted the League One PFA Fans' Player of the Month. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man armed with the questions.
Q:YOU MUST BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT GAME AGAINST WEST BROM?
A:I can't wait, it will be the first time I've gone back there since I left and it'll be nice to catch up with some old friends. Craig Shakespeare was my youth team coach back then, and he has since been promoted to first team coach, and I#m particularly looking forward to catching up with him.
Q:WERE YOU DIDAPPPOINTED TO LEAVE THE HAWTHORNS?
A:It was heartbreaking when they released me. Gary Megson was the manager at the time and he had hardly seen me play. But at the end of the season Craig (Shakespeare) took me into a room and gave me the news. He said they had recommended me for a pro contract but because the manager didn't need any centre halves, I wouldn't be getting one. It was as simple and quick as that.
Q:HOW LONG WERE YOU AT WEST BROM?
A:I was there between the ages of 14 to 19 and I absolutely loved the club. All the boys were like brothers and I still keep in touch with a lot of them now. It was really hard to leave and a hugely disappointing way to go. I had a weird feeling we would draw them at some point and I would love to go there and show them I'm better than they thought.
Q:DO YOU THINK BOURNEMOUTH CAN PULL OFF AN UPSET?
A:It's a tough draw but it's good to have such a hard game so soon in the new season. We went on a good run after we played Everton at the end of January last season so hopefully we can do something similar. You always tend to raise your game when you come up against better players and playing against the quality of West Brom will stand us in good stead for our league games. There is no reason why we can't go there and do a job.
Q:ARE YOU FULLY RECOVERED FROM YOUR KNEE INJURY NOW?
A:I am but it took a long time for me to get my match-sharpness back. I was out for nine months but when I came back I just felt sluggish and was a yard off the pace. Because I didn't have a pre-season I was always playing catch in terms of my fitness. But gradually my sharpness came back and things began to improve for me.
Q:HOW DO YOU THINK BOURNEMOUTH WILL DO NEXT SEASON?
A:Well at the moment we've only got nine players and the manager's on holiday but I'm sure he's got some new signings lined up before we go back for pre-season training on July 5. Although a lot of players have been released there's a real buzz around the town that we can do something next season.
