The assignment came on the back of a goal celebration at Celtic Park in September when Gow ripped off his shirt to reveal a rippling six-pack of stomach muscles that reflected extra conditioning work done in the afternoons at Falkirk’s training base in the grounds of Stirling University. When the picture was published it caught the eye of Suzie McGuire, a Radio Clyde DJ, who immediately selected him for her Cash for Kids calendar XI. John Hughes, his manager, considers him a ‘model’ professional in the other sense of the word.
Good habits have been instilled by a spartan start in the game. At Clydebank, his first club, Gow made do without many luxuries including wages. “It is great to come in here and have your own training gear sitting there,” he says, “but I enjoyed playing at Clydebank. A lot of my pals were out earlier than me sweeping the roads all day. We weren’t getting paid for a while, but we got paid the next year. Obviously, I appreciate where I have come from and don’t want to go back there. I was very young, so it didn’t affect me as much, but some of the older players had mortgages and families and it was quite hard for everybody when the club went into liquidation.”
It was with Airdrie United that Gow got a masterclass from Coyle when partnering him in attack. “I learned a lot from him. He is a good talker and his finishing was unbelievable. I don’t drink but not because Owen doesn’t. It was my own decision, I just didn’t like the taste. I still go out with my pals and enjoy myself, and it has never affected my lifestyle. I never took the choice because of football, just because of my life. No one has given me much stick about it or asked me to take a drink. I just tasted it when I was younger and don’t need it.”
Thus far, Gow has been a scorer of great goals rather than a great goalscorer in Coyle’s mould. To add to the nimble one he scored at Celtic Park there was a speeding left-foot drive into the top corner in a 2-2 draw at Ibrox. His quick footwork and eye for a through pass were evident when he set up the second that day for Pedro Moutinho, and these gifts have also seen him used as a winger or second striker. Airdrie fans still recall a slalom past six Brechin defenders, described by those who saw it as better than Archie Gemmill’s goal for Scotland against Holland.
Gow may have something against Brechin, as he scored twice against them in last Saturday’s Scottish Cup win, and Hughes will hope that it is a sign of things to come after the departure of Darryl Duffy, his leading scorer, to Hull City for £200,000 last week. A relegation battle may yet have to be fought despite the fact Falkirk have been an attractive addition to the Premierleague with a passing game revolving around Russell Latapy. A win today at Tannadice would drag them away from it and to within a point of their hosts, and good away form suggests it possible.
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For several years, Falkirk were denied promotion from the First Division because dilapidated Brockville was considered an inadequate home. Yet a solution might have been to let them come up and only play away games, as they have failed to win one league match at their new stadium this season. It is a mystery that Hughes will have to solve or his team will continue to sink toward Dunfermline and Livingston at the bottom. “We haven’t really played well enough, ” Gow sighs. “I wasn’t here last year but the home form was good then. Winning last week might give us a bit of confidence.”
The other cup shocks, with Clyde beating Celtic, St Mirren defeating Motherwell and his former Airdrie teammates winning at Dunfermline did not surprise him. “People probably do underestimate the First Division a wee bit. There are a lot of good players there, players who have played Premierleague. Half the SPL is out of the cup already so that just shows you.”
Falkirk are still in it, but staying in the Premierleague is their priority. If that can be achieved, then Gow might crack open a six-pack, but only by taking his shirt off.