Ross Stewart Transitions from Semi-Pro to Premier League and World Cup
Ross Stewart has made a remarkable journey from semi-professional football to the Premier League, and from a job in Glasgow’s land registry office to representing Scotland in the World Cup.
His professional career began at Albion Rovers, triggered by a £1,500 transfer fee, a portion of which was covered by his father, Cameron.
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This background perhaps explains the grounded nature of Stewart, a central forward.
In August, Stewart joined Swansea City after contract negotiations with Southampton did not succeed.
The move to Wales marked another step in the 30-year-old’s unique career path.
As a child, Stewart passed through the youth ranks of St Mirren, Celtic, and Partick Thistle. However, by the age of 17, he found himself playing for Ardeer Thistle outside the professional leagues.
Subsequent stints at Kilwinning Rangers and then Albion Rovers eventually led to his breakthrough, though funds were tight at the club.
“I think Albion Rovers’ supporters put together about £1,000, so they were £500 short and my dad chipped in to get the fee that was needed to get it done,” Stewart recounts.
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“I’d like to think I’ve paid him back now with trips and free tickets, but he always jokes about that and we have good banter about it. It’s something now that we’re very thankful for.”
Stewart acknowledges that without that pivotal move, his career may not have flourished. While at Albion Rovers, he continued working in Scotland’s land registry.
“I was dealing with property and title deeds, new housing plots, solicitors,” he explains. “That was me day to day, and then I would go and play my football at night.
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“When the chance came to go full-time [in football], they were really good with me… because it was government-based, they let me take a career break.
“I knew if it didn’t work out, I always had the option to go back. Thankfully within the first year, I kind of knew that wasn’t going to happen.”
Following a season at Albion Rovers, Stewart – who developed physically later than most – acquired a move to St Mirren in the Scottish Championship, although he soon found himself on loan at Alloa Athletic in the third tier.
A crucial transition occurred when he joined Ross County, scoring 11 goals in his first season to aid their promotion to the Scottish Premiership.
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He maintained his scoring streak in the top flight and, at 24, earned a transfer to Sunderland, then competing in League One, in January 2021.
“Ross is a player that will be great for us in the short term, but he can also develop and improve over the long term,” commented Lee Johnson, the Black Cats’ head coach at that time.
That proved to be an accurate assessment.
Stewart scored 26 goals – the last of which came in the play-off final – during the 2021-22 season, helping Sunderland achieve promotion. He netted 11 times in just 15 appearances the following season despite a series of injuries, before moving to Russell Martin’s Southampton in 2023.
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His injury woes persisted at the Saints, and he had limited engagement in their Championship promotion campaign under Martin, making only 12 appearances and scoring once in the top flight during the 2024-25 season.
Ross Stewart made two appearances for Scotland at this summer’s World Cup [Getty Images]
In the 2025-26 season, Stewart scored 11 goals in 35 games for Southampton, the last occurring in the play-off semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough.
He thought he was headed to Wembley after scoring against Boro, only to learn that Southampton’s season ended because of the Spygate scandal.
“I thought the punishment for the club, to chuck us out, was too harsh,” he states.
“It was a really surreal day because I got called up for the World Cup in the morning and then in the evening I got the news that we’d been chucked out, so I went from a real high to a real low.
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“The decision was made and you can be really upset about it, but it’s football, you’ve just got to move on.”
Feeling it was time for a new chapter, Stewart reached out to several clubs, including Martin’s Leicester, before deciding to join Swansea following a discussion with Vitor Matos.
His family is with him in Wales, and after recovering from an early-season quad injury, he feels positive following a powerful finish against Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
Although he faced disappointment midweek after hitting the bar just before Portsmouth scored twice in stoppage time to hand Swansea a defeat.
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If Stewart had found the net, Swansea might have been at the top of the table instead of fifth ahead of their trip to Birmingham City this coming Saturday.
However, there remains ample opportunity to ascend the rankings.
Premier League Return a Goal
Stewart views his “eye-opening” experiences outside Scotland’s top four divisions as pivotal in shaping his outlook on football.
“I think in this sport there’s always so much pressure, but obviously my route – not always guaranteeing that I would be here – I look at it as a bit of a free-hit and I don’t feel the pressure as much as perhaps all the players,” he says.
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His path to success does not indicate a lack of ambition. Following his “surreal” experience at the World Cup, he is eager to regain his position with Scotland under new coach Sebastien Pocognoli.
At the club level, he also aims for promotion.
“I want to get back playing in the Premier League,” Stewart states. “The club’s having a real go at trying to do that. That’s definitely the aim for me.”
