Barney Stewart: I had West Brom score notifications on my phone when interest started

New recruit Barney Stewart revealed he was so set on an Albion move this summer he had alerts for the club’s score notifications during the push for survival.

Stewart, 22, signed from Falkirk in Scotland in a £1.2million move last month that has been on the striker’s radar for some time.

He was first aware of the interest as early as February, while the Baggies were flailing in the drop zone and in between head coaches Eric Ramsay and James Morrison, and made a habit of following Albion’s progress from north of the border.

“I turned my app notifications on for the Albion as soon as I found out!” Stewart smiled. “It was obviously a straightforward decision.”

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The west London-born frontman added of initial interest: “I'm going to say February time? Maybe March? So I knew for ages.

“And then to be honest, it was sort of just tunnel vision for me. I know it's easy to say while I'm here, but once my agent did tell me that Albion were in and any other clubs that were coming in, I was like ‘alright, that's nice to know.’

“It's always nice to hear someone wants you - but I know where I want to go in the summer.”

The bubbly Stewart has immediately made a positive impact on Albion’s group. His journey from university football in Edinburgh to the Scottish Premiership reflects on a determined individual soaking in the experience.

The Scotland youth international was like any Albion supporter in the spring, glued to progress under Morrison’s caretaker stewardship in the push for survival.

“Without a question,” he added. “I was watching that table and I was watching the ups and downs and then I was... but it was one of those (with Albion) where, it's like an off-season.

“When a club is as big as they are, you know that they will find a way to stay in the Championship and look to push for the Premier League.

“I've watched West Brom on the TV beat Chelsea and things like that during lockdown, you know they're such a big club that like, it's hard to even imagine them going down, but you never know with the Championship.”