Media deliver reaction as Nottingham Forest-owned 24-year-old returns to starting XI

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Nottingham Forest-owned forward Josh Bowler returned to the starting eleven on Saturday as Cardiff lost to Blackburn. It was the first time the player has been included from the off since back in August.

Bowler joined the Bluebirds on loan from Forest during the summer transfer window. He had lots of offers from a number of clubs in the Football League but chose to head to Wales.

On the opening day of the campaign, he scored in a 2-2 draw against Leeds United. However, since then he’s picked up an injury problem that has sidelined him for a couple of months.

On Saturday, the tricky winger made a return to action from the off. He couldn’t prevent Cardiff losing at Blackburn but he did give a pretty good account of himself.

National media react as Bowler starts for Cardiff

Forest winger Bowler made a return to action prior to the international break. He came off the bench for 20 minutes as the Bluebirds drew 1-1 with Watford and did a decent job.

On Saturday, he played for just over an hour and was handed a 7/10 rating by Wales Online. They said of his performance: “Showed his twinkling, dancing feet on one or two occasions and was just about City’s most creative outlet. Good to see him back in the starting XI. Another who got a little sloppy after half-time.”

Cardiff go to Huddersfield in the Championship tonight. Forest-owned Bowler will hope to keep his place in the starting XI once again as the Bluebirds aim to win for the first time in three matches.

Bowler facing fight to have Forest future

It’s not hard to understand why Forest chose to sign Bowler. He was added as a contingency plan should the Reds have been relegated last season. with Steve Cooper a big fan of the player.

The club tried to sign him in the January window of 2022. Then, it proved tricky to prise him away from Blackpool and the club had to wait until the summer.

Last season he spent time on loan with Olympiacos and back at Blackpool with limited success. Forest loaned him out again in the summer and he’s busy trying to get back to his best.

The chance of Bowler having an opportunity at Forest will likely depend on the club’s future in the Premier League. The longer the Reds stick around, the less likely it seems that the player will ever feature for the club.