Born and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, Bowen began his career at Swansea City, making his debut in the 1990–91 season under manager Terry Yorath, having signed professional forms in July 1990.
It seemed that the move would be made permanent but the clubs were unable to agree a fee,[6] so Bowen returned to Birmingham.
He then moved to Reading in December 1997 for a fee of £200,000, but he and four other players, including Welsh international teammate Andy Legg, fell out with manager Tommy Burns.
He was put on the transfer list by Cardiff in March 2004[8] and left the club by mutual consent the following month, having made just two league appearances for the "Bluebirds" during the 2003–04 season.
[12] Jaye played for the Cardiff City under-18 squad before being released,[13] while Sam was previously with the first-team side and made his debut in 2021.