Cowan was at Ibrox for another two years, both of which also ended in championship success, but was competing for a place with the experienced Stuart Munro and fellow youngster Chris Vinnicombe and had only a peripheral role.
He did feature in the European Cup against Bayern Munich in Germany (the team having lost at home in the first leg), and in what proved to be his final appearance, took part in the title decider in 1991 when a depleted Rangers squad defeated Aberdeen 2–0; however he suffered a broken leg during the match (attempting to play on with the injury for several minutes before being substituted)[6][7] and the club then signed the left back of the opposition on that day, David Robertson, to fill the position.
Cowan enjoyed the most successful period of his career with the Terriers as he made 155 appearances for the club in six seasons (including one in which he did not play at all after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee),[8] helping them gain promotion in 1994–95 and reach the 1994 Football League Trophy final where they lost on penalties to Swansea City.
[15] His first season ended with the Cumbrian club being relegated to the Conference National, though he did help them gain an instant return to the Football League as they beat Stevenage Borough in the play-off final.
[20] After retiring from playing, Cowan became a firefighter and joined the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service,[21][5] speaking of the profession's collective ethos and camaraderie as being similar to his experience as a footballer.