GEORGE Bowerman admits he has a point to prove when he begins the new season with Stanley.
The 22-year-old striker signed a new 12-month contract with the Reds on Monday and has set his sights on getting one over those who thought he was destined for the football scrapheap.
After being released by local club Walsall last summer, Bowerman spent time without a club, playing just two games for non-league Woking before being taken on by Stanley manager James Beattie last October.
“There are always doubters about your career and it’s up to me to go and prove them wrong,” Bowerman told the club’s official website.
“The gaffer’s given me a chance and I want to show him and the fans at Accrington that I can do the job.
“You don’t realise until you are out of the game how hard it is to get back in. There are that many people in football that want to be in your position that you have to grab an opportunity with both hands. I’ve learned that the hard way. I’m trying to get my career back on track now.”
Bowerman scored three goals in 15 games for the Reds before having to watch from the sidelines as James Gray and loanee Kayode Odejayi finished the campaign as Beattie’s preferred strike pair.
“When the team’s playing well you can’t really do much,” Bowerman said. “You just have to sit there and support the team.
“This season my aim is to be straight in from the beginning. I’m doing pre-season so I can’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be able to do that.”
Beattie was priced out of a permanent move for Odejayi, who has now joined League Two rivals Tranmere, but he felt Bowerman did enough to earn a new deal.
“George is a goalscorer,” he said. “I think he missed out last year with not having a pre-season and his form was a bit indifferent but I know that there’s a very good player in there.
“He did a lot of travelling last season but we’re sorting that out and if we can get George scoring goals on a regular basis, that will be great. I don’t think there’s a better finisher at the club.”
Six out-of-contract players have now committed to Stanley, with only Peter Murphy moving on, so Bowerman is confident the Reds can build on their strong finish to last term.
“Towards the end of the season we looked a good team,” he said.
“Fingers crossed we can go better this season. If we start off well, who knows?”
Former Stanley boss John Coleman has been handed the manager’s job at Sligo Rovers.
His second game in charge of the Irish side was to be a Europa League qualifier in Lithuania against FK Banga last night (Thursday).
Coleman left non-league Southport in April, saying he wanted to return to Football League management.
Paul Cook left Sligo to succeed Coleman at Stanley after he took the Rochdale job in 2012.
