5 players who used Raith Rovers as springboard to Scotland caps - as Kieron Bowie dreams of debut

The Courier

a day ago

Kieron Bowie will become the first player with Raith Rovers connections to play for Scotland in six years if he makes his debut tonight.
The Hibernian striker has been included in the full international squad for the first time for the double-header against Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke is keen to look to the future and has had his eye on Bowie for some time.
The Kirkcaldy-born marksman began his senior career with Raith with his debut in February 2019 before sealing a move to Fulham.
And, after returning north with Hibs last summer, the 22-year-old is now hoping to follow in the footsteps of David Bates by pulling on the dark blue of Scotland after leaving Rovers.
Harry Anderson, Bill Collier, Dave Morris, Willie McNaught and Stevie Crawford played for the nation whilst at Stark's Park. But Courier Sport has taken a look at some of those who made their international bows after moving on.
Born in Lanarkshire in 1901, James signed for Raith in 1922 before scoring 41 goals in 151 appearances for the club.
Involved in the club's infamous shipwrecking incident on their way to the Canary Islands in the summer of 1923 – he was having a bath when the boat ran aground – the inside forward left Stark's Park for Preston North End in 1925.
It was with the Lilywhites that James made his Scotland debut in the first of eight caps in a 3-0 win over Wales in October 1925.
He would go on to score twice in Scotland's 5-1 hammering of England as one of the 'Wembley Wizards' and wrote his name into folklore as a bona fide legend with Arsenal, where he won four league titles and two FA Cups.
James died prematurely, aged just 51, in 1953 and has since been inducted into the halls of fame of Raith Rovers, Scottish football and English football.
Widely regarded as one of the nation's best-ever talents, Baxter began his senior career at Raith as a part-timer in 1957.
He made just 84 appearances before his ability attracted the attention of Rangers, whom he joined in June 1960 for a then Scottish record fee of £17,500.
There followed three league titles, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups and 34 caps for Scotland as well as spells with Sunderland and Nottingham Forest.
'Slim Jim' taunted England by playing keepie uppies in a lauded 3-2 success at Wembley in 1967 in the wake of the Auld Enemy's World Cup triumph a year earlier.
Tragically, Baxter died in 2001 following a battle with cancer aged just 61.
Wright began his senior career with Raith in 1983 and scored 96 goals in 211 appearances before departing for Dundee in December 1986.
Revered at Dens Park for netting 75 times in 197 outings, he helped the Dark Blues win the inaugural Challenge Cup in 1990.
The powerful striker left for boyhood heroes Hibs a year later and scored as the Easter Road side won the League Cup against Dunfermline that October.
And it was whilst with the capital outfit that Wright won his solitary cap for Scotland in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in February 1992.
His impact wherever he went is clear in the fact he is a hall of fame member at Raith, Dundee and Hibs.
Kirkcaldy-born, Cameron began his career with his hometown team as a youth in 1988 and would go on to score 42 times in 168 appearances.
However, it was only after leaving for Hearts in 1996 that the midfielder won the first of his 28 caps for Scotland.
A Scottish Cup winner with the Jambos in 1998, Cameron subsequently spent five years with Wolves after moving south in a £1.75 million deal in 2001.
He won the last of his international caps in October 2004 against Moldova and had a stint at Dundee before playing for and managing Cowdenbeath.
The 52-year-old is now the assistant-manager back at Rovers.
Bates is another player born in Kirkcaldy who started his career with Raith.
After a loan move to East Stirling, the defender was 18 when he made his debut for the club in a League Cup game against Fife neighbours Cowdenbeath.
After 15 eye-catching outings for Rovers, Bates moved on in an unusual development loan to Rangers – with Ryan Hardie and Jordan Thompson moving in the opposite direction.
The Ibrox outfit then made the move permanent in January 2017 and he made 28 appearances before leaving for Hamburg in Germany in summer 2018.
It was whilst playing in Bundesliga 2 that the centre-half made the step up to the full Scotland side from the U/21s.
After making his debut against Albania in November 2018, Bates also played against Israel, Kazakhstan and San Marino for his country and has enjoyed moves to Aberdeen, Mechelen and Standard Liege at club level.