Barney Stewart

Barney Stewart
Personal information
Full name Barnaby Jude Columbus Stewart
Date of birth (2004-04-07) 7 April 2004 (age 22)
Place of birth London, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
West Bromwich Albion
Number 9
Youth career
2018–2020 Queens Park Rangers
2021 Hayes & Yeading United
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Heriot-Watt University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024–2026 Falkirk 33 (10)
2024 → Heriot-Watt University (loan)
2025 → Dunfermline Athletic (loan) 11 (6)
2026– West Bromwich Albion 10 (1)
International career‡
2025– Scotland U21 3 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:08, 18 October 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:26, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Barnaby Jude Columbus 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.

Youth career

Stewart was a trainee with Queens Park Rangers as a teenager but mainly played for local boys' clubs and school teams in West London. He also spent time with Hayes & Yeading United before going to university. He also competed in rugby union with Ealing Trailfinders' youth teams and played Gaelic football and tennis at a high level.

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. 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 – 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.

Club career

Falkirk

In October 2024, Stewart signed for Falkirk with an understanding between all parties that completion of his degree would be prioritised alongside football, and initially this meant he was loaned back to Heriot-Watt until the end of the calendar year. 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.

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 to the rivalry between them. 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. 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. On 26 January he signed an extension to his Falkirk contract, running to 2028 with the option of a further year. 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.

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. He was assigned the number 9 shirt for the club after reportedly asking directly for the number on his arrival. 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.

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; he appeared as a substitute in both matches.

Career statistics

As of match played 17 October 2026
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 116000012128
West Bromwich Albion 2026–27 EFL Championship 1010020—121
Career total 55165220125821


References

  1. ↑ "Squad List 2026/27 & U21 Registered Contract Players" (PDF). English Football League. 8 September 2026. p. 42. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2026. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Barney Stewart, ESPN. Retrieved 2 February 2026
  3. 1 2 Barney Army taking over at Falkirk as hitman Stewart takes on a new nickname he doesn't mind one bit, Alan Robertson, Daily Record, 13 April 2025
  4. ↑ "From United under 18's to the EFL Championship (via Falkirk)". HYU F.C. 20 June 2026. Archived from the original on 6 October 2026. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Scott, Ged; Hermon, Steve (22 October 2026). "Barney Stewart: West Brom summer signing asked for number nine shirt". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Pars Sign Promising Striker Barney Stewart on Loan from Falkirk". Dunfermline Athletic. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Hornell, Ewan (18 November 2025). "Barney Stewart journey – Heriot Watt to Scottish International". Midlothian View.
  8. 1 2 Talented Heriot-Watt University Football Scholar Signs for Falkirk FC, Oriam, 13 November 2024
  9. ↑ Barney Stewart signs, Falkirk FC, 14 October 2024
  10. ↑ Exclusive: Inside ‘politics’ of Barney Stewart’s Dunfermline move – and why it is ‘win-win’ for John McGlynn, Iain Collin, The Courier, 6 November 2025
  11. ↑ Barney Stewart signs off in style with derby winner, Dunfermline Athletic FC, 29 December 2025
  12. ↑ Barney Stewart on Falkirk fairytale after going from dodging hatchet men in seventh tier to Premiership hat trick, Fraser Wilson, Daily Record, 26 January 2026
  13. ↑ 'This is where I belong' - Stewart signs new Falkirk deal, BBC Sport, 26 January 2026
  14. ↑ "DoubleTree by Hilton Young Player of the Year". Scottish Football Writers Association. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "West Brom sign Falkirk striker Stewart". BBC. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Striker Barney Stewart leaves Falkirk to head south of border". Falkirk Herald. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Games played by Barney Stewart in 2026/2027". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Dunfermline striker Barney Stewart on Scotland under-21 call, Ally McRoberts, Dunfermline Press, 12 November 2025
  19. ↑ Scotland 1 - 0 Bulgaria, Scottish Football Association, 18 November 2025
  20. ↑ From university football to Scotland U21s: A look at Barney Stewart’s career so far, Luciano Zecchino, Youth Football Scotland, 20 November 2025
  21. ↑ Barney Stewart at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 October 2026.