The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Contrasting fortunes of former Dark Blues
How Hemmings and Stewart fared since move
This time last year Dundee star men Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart were in the running for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year Award.
Twelve months on, the duo are long gone from Dens, joining Oxford United and Birmingham City respectively last summer for six-figure sums.
They have experienced contrasting fortunes since leaving Dundee.
Hemmings initially struggled to make an impact with Oxford but finished the season with 18 goals to his credit.
The 25-year-old made a “dreamcome-true” appearance at Wembley at the start of April in the Checkatrade Trophy Final against Coventry.
Michael Appleton’s League 1 side lost that game 2-1 and also just missed out on the promotion play-offs but, overall, Hemmings can be pleased with the impact he has made – especially after his last sojourn in England, at Barnsley, left him disillusioned with football.
With two years left on his deal at the Kassam Stadium, it looks like Hemmings made the right move.
However, it is fair to say the jury is still out on whether his former Dundee strike partner Stewart’s choice was also a wise one.
The 27-year-old has only made 22 appearances for the Championship side, mostly from the bench.
He has yet to score for the Blues, and his last goal was for Dundee against Forfar in the League Cup in July.
He has not been helped by the fact that his team are on their third manager of the season.
The former Cowdenbeath front man was a long-term target for boss Gary Rowett, who awarded the player a threeyear deal at St Andrews.
The manager was prepared to be patient with Stewart as he adjusted to the pace and physical demands of the Championship.
The Birmingham board did not show similar patience for Rowett, who was surprisingly sacked in December with Birmingham seventh in the table just three points behind Reading in third.
He was replaced by Gianfranco Zola, but Birmingham went into freefall and the Italian resigned last month with the team only winning twice in 24 games during his tenure.
The Blues then turned to veteran boss Harry Redknapp.
The 70-year-old handed Stewart a five-minute cameo appearance from the bench in the derby against Aston Villa on April 23, but a day later he was playing for the development side against Hull.
Redknapp’s full focus at the moment is on Sunday’s crunch game at Bristol City, with the Blues looking to win to ensure they are safe from the relegation play-offs.
The manager has already hinted that if the club secure their Championship survival he would look to stay on.
If he remains in the St Andrews hotseat there is no guarantee Stewart will be part of his plans, despite having two years left on his contract.
Should Stewart once again be seen as a work in progress, Birmingham would probably attempt to loan him out in a bid to obtain regular football.
That would raise hopes among Dundee fans that the prodigal could return to Dens.
However, it is far more likely that Birmingham would look to keep tabs on him closer to home.
If the English side opt to cut their losses with Stewart, there will certainly be interest from sides in this country.
Birmingham will no doubt look to recoup at least part of their transfer fee, which would rule Dundee out of the reckoning, with the player previously linked with Rangers and Aberdeen.
What is certain is that his Player of the Year nomination must seem like a lifetime ago for the likeable Stewart.