‘I couldn’t think of anything worse than playing for a team that didn’t want to go up - I’d prefer to stay at home’ – former pro James Cowan on his new challenge at AFC Portchester

The sensational capture of Pitman - not that long ago one of the Fratton faithful’s most favourite players - has unsurprisingly garnered the Royals a shedload of publicity.

Pitman’s arrival has only reinforced a belief held by many local non-league followers that Portchester are the favourites to land the 2022/23 Wessex League Premier title.

Yet boss Dave Carter has made a handful of other astute signings as well, to further strengthen a squad which already possessed Southern League standard quality.

Among them is midfielder James Cowan, 22, who in 2019 was at Wembley cheering on Pitman and his Blues colleagues as Pompey won the Checkatrade Trophy final against Sunderland.

At the time Cowan had just joined Gosport Borough following his release by Oxford United, where he had spent two and a half years playing for the club’s under-18s and under-21s.

The Portsmouth-born player was to later to sign for Scottish League club Airdrie, where he played a few games in early 2019/20 before returning to the south coast.

That was Cowan’s second taste of pro football north of the border, having spent a few months with Dundee when he was 16.

A youth team player at Portchester, Cowan ended up at Dens Park - over 500 miles away from family and friends - due to then Royals boss Graham Rix’s connections: Dundee manager Paul Hartley having been Rix’s captain during his time managing Hearts in 2005/06.

It wasn’t a memorable experience. ‘I was staying in an Airbnb, in a room by myself - I was younger than the other youth team lads, I didn’t really socialise much, just spent a lot of time by myself,’ he told The News.

‘My international clearance wouldn’t come through, so I could only play in friendlies. Around the October time I came back to visit and didn’t go back.’

Shortly after, Cowan ended up at Oxford. Current Tranmere player Kane Hemmings had recommended Cowan to the U’s, having left Dundee in 2016 to move to the Kassam Stadium.

Following his Oxford release, Cowan received a call from the agent Jon McLeish, son of ex-Scotland boss Alex. ‘He said there were a few clubs willing to give me a trial,’ he recalled. ‘I thought I’d give it another go.

‘Airdrie gave me a six-month contract, and I played eight to 10 times. I was living in a rented house, it was all a bit too much for someone who was young - taking care of bills and all that. I didn’t really enjoy it, so I thought I’d come back (to England) and get a job.

‘I wouldn’t go back into the professional game now, even if I was offered the chance. It’s all one or two year contracts, it’s hard to make somewhere your home.’

Cowan has since watched his friend Tommy Leigh progress from Baffins to Bognor to League One Accrington Stanley. ‘Tommy’s done really well, his levels of dedication were much more than mine.

‘I just want to enjoy playing again, I didn’t really enjoy it for a few years.

‘When I came back I was talking to a mate, Max Davies, and he said he was going to Baffins.’

As a result of that chat, Cowan also ended up at Baffins as part of new boss Shaun Wilkinson’s squad rebuilding ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. While that season would be cut short prematurely due to national lockdowns, Cowan skippered Baffins during a chalk and cheese 2021/22 season.

After winning 17 of their opening 23 league games, Rovers were right in the title race. But a remarkable collapse saw them win just three of their last 17 fixtures, and they finished eighth.

‘We had a bit of momentum, a bit of luck - decisions were going our way,’ Cowan recalled. ‘But then our luck ran out. After we beat Moneyfields in January we didn’t get going. It was almost like a chore turning up for games because we were in such bad form.

‘I enjoyed playing for Wilko (Wilkinson), I feel he developed my game - I got better under him. When he said he was leaving (at the end of the season) I thought ‘I need a new challenge.’ I had a few phone calls but always in my mind was that if Portchester were interested I would end up there.

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‘They have got such a good squad, if they ended up winning the league and I wasn’t part of it, I would kick myself.

‘When I spoke to them, it was like ‘yeah, we want to win the league.’ That was quite refreshing to hear. Some clubs don’t want to go up because they’re not ready off the pitch. I thought this (Portchester) was a project I could definitely get behind. It’s an exciting place to be at the moment.

‘I definitely feel I could play a few leagues higher. I really like the Wessex, but I don’t want to play in it for the rest of my life.’

Cowan signed for Portchy before news leaked out that the club were contemplating an audacious move for Pitman.

‘When I heard his name being mentioned, I was thinking ‘surely not’. But I turned up to training one day and saw him, I was a bit shocked.

‘You’re excited by what you can learn off him. His movement is incredible, his instinct for goals - he’s always had that.

‘Brett being there should mean every player gives an extra 10 per cent. You want to give the best account of yourself.

‘There’ll be pressure on us, but that’s what you want. I couldn’t think of anything worse than playing for a team that didn’t want to go up and couldn’t go down - I’d prefer to stay at home.

‘We’ve got a really good squad. It’s a close-knit squad, everyone gets on. I thought it might be a bit clique-y, but everyone’s been really welcoming. It’s a good place to be.’