Last week, two players who left Rangers in pursuit of more regular game time during the January transfer window met up south of the border.
Or, at least, they would have.
As Kieran Dowell produced another impressive Birmingham City display in a 1-0 victory over fellow promotion chasers Wycombe Wanderers – extending their lead at the top of the table to nine points – Alex Lowry was nowhere to be seen in the visitor’s squad.
Lowry left Rangers for Wycombe on a permanent basis.
But, after a disappointing loan spell at Hearts was cut short a year prior, this was not the start he would have been looking for as the playmaker sets about trying to remind the Ibrox bosses why he was once so highly-rated behind the scenes at Auchenhowie.
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Former Rangers man Alex Lowry is yet to make his mark at Wycombe Wanderers
Alex Lowry made a good early impression at Wycombe Wanderers, delivering a stylish performance on debut against Preston North End in the FA Cup. However, across his next four league outings, the Scotland Under-21 international played only 26 minutes of football.
Three cameo appearances off the bench. In two of the last three, meanwhile, he was not even part of the matchday roster.
Quite clearly, Wycombe boss Mike Dodds feels that Lowry has a lot to learn. He is looking to ensure the 21-year-old cuts back on the unnecessary things and instead focuses his mind on goals, assists, and the more important stuff.
“Alex clearly has got quality and you can see that”, Dodds told Wycombe’s official website. “I think my responsibility, as the coach and the developer of Alex, is for him to understand that it is not always about the flicks and tricks, which I know the crowd like.
“There are other important elements in the game. And [teaching him that] is going to be my responsibility over our relationship and as our relationship grows.
“If he can marry up those two elements, he is going to be a very good player.”
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Familiar questions arise a year after disappointing Hearts spell
Lowry did show signs of promise late on during the 2-0 midweek win over relegation-threatened Burton Albion.
There was one particularly ‘mesmerising’ run, to quote Wycombe’s social media channels, which really deserved better than it got.
A few days later though, with Wycombe travelling to Peterborough United looking to cement their place in the automatic promotion positions, Lowry was conspicuous by his absence once again.
His tally of goals and assists in senior football, meanwhile, currently stands at just three and six across 35 appearances.
Former Rangers forward Steven Naismith, at the start of that Hearts spell in 2023, delivered a similar warning to the one Lowry is now receiving at Adams Park under Dodds. All that talent, all those little backheels and clever dummies, it all counts for little without the ‘end product’ to back it up.
“I challenge him all the time to give us an end product,” Naismith said at the time. “We can’t have a luxury player. He needs to be in certain positions.”
Forget about adding a much-needed ruthless streak to his game, getting onto the pitch, in a Wycombe Wanderers shirt, would be a start.
