Stevie’s wonder at move
Stevie Mallan is down to earth enough to admit he was stunned when Barnsley made a bid for him.
But now the Scotland Under- 21 midf ielder is aiming for the stars and wants to emulate Andy Robertson’s success.
Mallan had been at St Mirren since he was four years old before the Tykes came calling in the summer.
There aren’t many players who go from the Scottish Championship to England’s equivalent in one move and that’s why he was stunned by their interest.
But he knew it was a switch he couldn’t turn down and is now hell-bent on forcing his way into Paul Heckingbottom’s side.
After watching Scotland full-back Robertson excel for Hull before earning a £ 10mi l l ion move to Liverpool, Mallan would love to make a simi lar impact at Oakwell.
He told MailSport: “For any English club to want me was amazing.
“It was too hard to knock back. When you’ve got the chance to go from the Scottish Championship to the English one – competing against the likes of Villa and Leeds – I couldn’t say no.
“I was bewildered when I heard Barnsley were after me. It’s exciting. Look at Andy Robertson who did br i l l iant ly at Hul l and suddenly he’s at Liverpool.
“Ultimately, that’s what you want to do as a player, go up against the best.
“Starting in the English Championship can be an great stepping stone.”
Partick stopper Liam Lindsay has also moved south to Barnsley this summer and Mallan said: “It would have been a lot harder to settle if Liam wasn’t here.
“We shared a hotel room at first and we’re going to move into a flat together for a year. This is the best place for us to t r y to get international recognition with Scotland.”