Barney Stewart

Barney Stewart
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-04-07) 7 April 2004
Place of birth London, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 West Bromwich Albion
Number 9
Youth career
2018–2020 Queens Park Rangers[2]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Heriot-Watt University
2024–2026 Falkirk 33 (10)
2024 → Heriot-Watt University (loan)
2025 → Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 11 (6)
2026– West Bromwich Albion 2 (0)
International career‡
2025– Scotland U21 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:15, 28 August 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:26, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Barney Stewart (born 7 April 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Born in England to Scottish parents, he has represented Scotland at under-21 level.

Stewart began his career with Heriot-Watt University, and has also played for Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic.

Club career

Early Career

Stewart was a trainee with Queens Park Rangers as a teenager[2] but mainly played for local boys' clubs and school teams in West London. He also competed in rugby union with Ealing Trailfinders' youth teams and played Gaelic football and tennis at a high level.[3][4]

While considering Scottish institutions for his higher education, he impressed the staff of Heriot-Watt University (based just outside Edinburgh where his father was raised) with his performance as a stand-in for their team in a bounce match for their team against nearby club Penicuik Athletic, official fixtures having been cancelled due to bad weather which also prevented Stewart and his family from returning home as planned.[4]

He was given strong encouragement to join their Football Scholarship Programme which would include use of the facilities at the Oriam training centre and a pathway into the senior pyramid of Scottish football[5] – albeit the Heriot-Watt University F.C. first team compete in the lower echelons of the East of Scotland Football League. Stewart accepted the offer and began his degree in Sport and Exercise Science in 2022.

In football, he helped Heriot-Watt gain promotion from the EoSFL Second Division (eighth tier) to the First Division. In 2023–24 he scored over 40 times in the EoSFL and BUCS Football League competitions which drew the attention of professional clubs along with his pace and physical stature.[4]

Falkirk

In October 2024, Stewart signed for Falkirk[6] with an understanding between all parties that completion of his degree would be prioritised alongside football,[4] and initially this meant he was loaned back to Heriot-Watt until the end of the calendar year.[5] He made his Falkirk debut on 11 January 2025 against Queen's Park and went on to make 16 Scottish Championship appearances (mostly as a substitute), scoring twice, as the club managed by John McGlynn won the title and were promoted to the Scottish Premiership.[2]

Stewart sustained a broken metatarsal in July 2025, and upon recovering two months later he was loaned out to Championship side Dunfermline Athletic who had lost striker Zak Rudden to injury, the move causing discontent among some supporters of both clubs due the rivalry between them.[7][4] He soon won over the Dunfermline fans by scoring at the rate of a goal every 90 minutes, including twice in Fife derby victories over Raith Rovers, and was recalled by Falkirk at the end of 2025.[8][9] His maiden Premiership appearance came against Aberdeen on 3 January 2026, and three weeks later he enhanced his growing reputation further by scoring a hat-trick as the Bairns defeated Hibernian 4–1.[10]

On 26 January he signed an extension to his Falkirk contract, running to 2028 with the option of a further year.[11] In the second half of the season, Stewart made 17 league appearances, and scored 8 goals, receiving the SFWA Young Player of the Year award for the 2025-26 season.[12]

West Bromwich Albion

On 17 June 2026, Stewart signed for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion, signing a four-year contract for a reported fee of £1,300,000.[13][14] Stewart made his debut for the Baggies as a substitute in a 4–1 win over Rotherham United in the EFL Cup. Following two further substitute appearances in the opening two games of the league, he made his first start for the club in the following round of the Cup against Newcastle United.[15]

International career

During his productive loan with Dunfermline, Stewart was called up to the Scotland Under-21 squad, along with teammate Andy Tod, for 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification fixtures against Gibraltar and Bulgaria in November 2025;[16] he appeared as a substitute in both matches.[17][18]

Career statistics

As of match played 26 August 2026[19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Falkirk 2024–25 Scottish Championship 1621000—172
2025–26 Scottish Premiership 1784200—2110
Total 33105200003812
Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 2025–26 Scottish Championship 11600001[a]2128
West Bromwich Albion 2026–27 EFL Championship 200020—40
Career total 46165220125020


References

  1. ↑ Barney Stewart, ESPN. Retrieved 2 February 2026
  2. 1 2 3 Alan, Robertson (13 April 2025). "Barney Army taking over at Falkirk as hitman Stewart takes on a new nickname he doesn't mind one bit". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Pars sign promising striker Barney Stewart on loan from Falkirk". Dunfermline Athletic FC. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Barney Stewart journey - Heriot Watt to Scottish International". Midlothian View. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Anderson, Greig (13 November 2024). "Talented Football Scholar Signs For Falkirk FC". Oriam. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Barney Stewart signs". Falkirk FC. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Inside 'politics' of Barney Stewart's Dunfermline move – and why it is 'win-win' for John McGlynn". The Courier. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Freedland, Jonathan (28 August 2026). "EE88". Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Barney Stewart signs off in style with derby winner". Dunfermline Athletic FC. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Fraser, Wilson (26 January 2026). "Barney Stewart on Falkirk fairytale after going from dodging hatchet men in seventh tier to Premiership hat trick". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "'This is where I belong' - Barney Stewart signs new Falkirk contract". BBC Sport. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "DoubleTree by Hilton Young Player of the Year". Scottish Football Writers Association. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Barney Stewart: West Bromwich Albion sign Falkirk striker". BBC Sport. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Craig, Goldthorp (17 June 2026). "Striker Barney Stewart leaves Falkirk to head south of border". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Barney Stewart in 2026/2027". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Ally, McRoberts (12 November 2025). "I was born in London but I've never been allowed to support England in anything". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Scotland 1 - 0 Bulgaria - Scottish FA". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Zecchino, Luciano (20 November 2025). "From university football to Scotland U21s: A look at Barney Stewart's career so far". Youth Football Scotland. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Barney Stewart at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
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