Premiership rival claims he's Temu version of Hibs record breaker as star fancies following footsteps
The Falkirk striker has landed a prestigious award
After picking up the Scottish Football Writers' Association Young Player of the Year award, Falkirk striker Barney Steward has joked he’s a ‘temu’ version of former Hibs marksman Kieron Bowie, as he outlines his ambitions to move abroad in the future.
The 22-year old has followed in the footsteps of another former Hibs man Josh Doig in winning the award who also now plays in the Serie A. Bowie made his switch to Hellas Verona in January, making him Hibs’ most expensive ever export. Fellow SPFL prospects Lewis Ferguson and Lennon Miller, who’ve both won the Football Writers award are also plying their trade in Italy.
Stewart, a recent Heriot Watt University student, has been a revelation at the Falkirk Stadium this season, scoring eight goals in 17 league appearances. After he won the award, he outlined his plans to move beyond the Scottish Premiership in the future, but joked he’s still a low-budget version of Hibs’ record breaker.
Stewart says he’s like Bowie off ‘Temu or Wish’
He said: "I'd be lying if I said no but I just have to wait and see what happens next. You'd be lying if you said that the 25-degree weather's not appealing to you. You also see Scott McTominay talking about how good the food is over there — and I'm a big food man! So that makes it even more appealing for me, although I'd be obese if I went abroad, probably!
“It would be great at some stage, but obviously nothing's happening until the end of the season anyway. You see Kieron Bowie who's gone on to score against teams like Juventus, it's insane. I'd like to think I've got similar features to him in terms of goals, size and stuff. So if he can go on to do it, I can aspire to be a wee bit like him. Although I'm like a Kieron Bowie from Temu or Wish — I'm a wee bit cheaper!”
The striker, who clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously has a refreshing natural enthusiasm for the game and he been linked with a move elsewhere in the summer, with Celtic, West Brom and Oxford all reportedly monitoring his progress. He’s also been a regular feature at under-21s level for Scot Gemmill’s Scotland side.
Scotland prospect excited to join illustrious list
He also claimed he’d looked at some previous winners of the award and that he now has a lot to live up to. He continued: “I was scrolling through the previous winners with my dad and there are some big names in there. Some massive names that have gone on to have very successful careers, actually, so hopefully I can follow.
“James McFadden won it, Kieran Tierney got three in a row, Lennon Miller got it last year, Davie Watson who I've played with at Under-21s, so it's good my name is going to be alongside theirs. Then you also have Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig. A lot of them have gone to Italy haven't they? No pressure on me then!”