Dad shelled out £500 of his own cash to seal my move to senior game. He jokes I’ve not repaid him but I hope now when I run out at Stadium of Light he feels sense of pride & satisfaction that it was worth it
Ross Stewart reflects on his journey from Juniors to hero at Black Cats in just five years
It’s probably the best £500 Cameron Stewart has ever spent.
When he forked out the cash to pay for his own son’s transfer fee it was a gamble he might never see a return on.
But now, when his boy Ross runs out at the Stadium of Light in front of 30,000 adoring Sunderland fans, he gets paid back in spades.
And with every goal the big striker scores for the Black Cats, with Stewart netting again yesterday in a 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town in League One, his dad’s decision looks worth every penny.
It might sound ridiculous but it’s true. When Albion Rovers were trying to buy Stewart from Kilwinning Rangers five years ago, they had to cough up £1500.
But the Cliftonhill club could only muster a grand, leaving the young forward’s crack at the SPFL in jeopardy.
That’s when his maths teacher dad stepped in and paid the rest himself.
And by anyone’s calculations, it’s paid off.
Stewart is now Sunderland’s main striker and a huge favourite of the Mackems. Via Rovers, St Mirren, Alloa and Ross County, he’s made it to one of England’s biggest clubs who are trying to get back where they belong in the Premier League.
Stewart knows the graft he’s had to put in to get there. But he also couldn’t have done it without his family, particularly Cameron who took an unusual punt on his boy’s ability back in 2016.
Who knows where he might have ended up if Cameron hadn’t stumped up and got him out of Junior football? Certainly, in terms of where he is now, Ross knows it was a huge show of belief that he will be eternally grateful for.
He told MailSport: “At the time, I was trying to get away from Kilwinning.
“Gus MacPherson at Queen’s Park was trying to get me to go there but they couldn’t pay a fee because they were an amateur club.
“Kilwinning wanted money for me, which I wasn’t too happy about. I was young, I had the chance to take a step up so their demand for a fee was killing me.
“Albion Rovers then came in but only had so much of what Kilwinning were asking for.
“To top it up to the asking price, my dad paid the rest of it himself. I think it was another £500.
“He basically had to buy me out of my Kilwinning contract and pay the rest of the transfer fee.
“I’ve paid him back now! I can only look back now and realise what a good decision it was from him.
“It’s probably the best £ 500 he’s ever spent. He keeps telling me that.
“He jokes with me all the time that I’ve not totally repaid him yet – he still wants more. Hopefully, he’s not adding interest or I’ll be in big trouble. When I run out at the Stadium of Light now, hopefully he feels a sense of pride and satisfaction that it was all worth it.
“I think he always knew I had a chance in the game. But when I went Junior, it became harder.
“Thankfully, he still had the belief in me to make the decision. I’ve got a lot to thank him for.”
Stewart is loving life on Wearside under gaffer Lee Johnson, having made the move from Ross County back in January.
With f ive goals in eight games already this season, the Sunderland faithful have already dubbed him the “Loch Ness Drogba”.
Given where he’s come from, the big striker admits that during pre-season he took time out to reflect on how far he’s come.
And from the outside, you get the feeling that Stewart’s humility is exactly the type of characteristic Sunderland needed in players after their catastrophic fall from England’s top flight.
The 25-year-old said: “With how the move happened in January, I didn’t really get time to think about it.
“The games come so thick and fast. You’re always just focused and in the moment.
“But in pre-season, when I was with my parents and family, I did think about this journey I’ve been on.
“From Ardeer Thistle and Kilwinning Rangers all the way to Sunderland. It does take me aback a bit.
“But at the same time, there’s still that motivation and pressure on myself to go and try to take another step up.
“I know how hard I’ve worked to get here but that doesn’t stop now – it continues.
“This season has started really well and hopefully I can take another step up.
“It’s changed days for me when I walk into the training ground at this club every day.
“In the Juniors it was a case of finding any public park to run on. And that was it – just running.
“Any weather – wind, rain or snow – you’d still be running. The grass could be knee- high in some places but you still had to do it. When I look at the facilities I’ve got now, it dawns on me that I’ve seen the other side.
“Th a t ma k e s me appreciate what I’ve got here even more.
“I try to be humble about everything that comes my way. I got that off my parents and that’s helped me. I’ll never have any kind of ego. The best thing I can do is learn from older pro team-mates and coaching staff.
“Everything they say to me, I try to take it on board and improve myself as a player and a person.
“That, along with taking advantage of the facilities I’ve got here, has gone a long way to making me who I am now.”
Physically, Stewart has all the attributes to be a success in League One and he has already made Sunderland supporters forget about their former frontman Charlie Wyke.
But in terms of mentality, it’s a different ball game going from the Highlands to a north- east football hotbed.
That’s something Stewart was keen to sample – and discover whether he could handle it.
He said: “Everything about this place appealed to me. And it’s a place where I knew I could test myself.
“There’s a lot of pressure that comes along with playing for Sunderland.
But I wanted to see how I would cope with that myself.
“It’s totally different to being at Ross County where there obviously isn’t as much.
“You have to embrace it down here and I’ve done that.
“The manager and Jamie
McAllister have had a huge effect on me in making me comfortable here.
“They’ve also given me the belief that I can do well and play for a club the size of
Sunderland.
“We’ve also got a great group of l ads in the changing room here. They are so supportive.
When you combine all of that, it makes it easier for me.”