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In-form Scotland hopeful reveals 46-cap reason behind major transfer move and sets out international aims Former Falkirk man makes honest admission over major summer transfer move. Former Falkirk striker Barney Stewart has revealed the key motivation behind his decision to move to West Bromwich Albion this summer and detailed why he believes it can help him break into Scotland’s senior squad. Stewart, 22, has had a meteoric rise over the last 12 months. Beginning the 2025/26 campaign by impressing on loan at Dunfermline Athletic, he ended it by scoring 10 goals in 21 appearances in the second half of last season for Falkirk and being tipped for a Scotland call-up, before being snapped up by the EFL Championship side for a fee of £1.5million. The imposing striker has enjoyed a bright start to life with the Baggies, scoring his third goal of the club’s pre-season campaign against Peterborough United at the weekend - and now he wants to ensure he takes his form into the domestic season, starting with Saturday’s game away to Rotherham United in the Carabao Cup. Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here. “It’s always nice to score,” said Stewart. “To be fair, every time you’re on the pitch as a striker you’re looking to score a goal, regardless of the occasion. I scored pretty much straight away after coming on, but I know I should’ve had another at the end. I’ve scored a few in pre-season now, which is obviously good for my confidence. “I don’t want to get them all out the way in pre-season as I want to save plenty for when the competitive action kicks in. It’s always nice when the ball goes in because scoring goals is a great way to build your confidence. I know it’s pre-season, but it’s still a nice feeling to score. I’ll be taking that confidence into the season. If I hadn’t scored yet, I’d be low on confidence. I’m eyeing-up a goal every time I’m on the pitch. Reportedly eyed by several clubs during the summer after his explosive spell with Falkirk, the forward admitted that the chance to play under 46-cap former Scotland international was a major factor in his decision-making, revealing why he thinks West Brom head coach James Morrison can play a part in achieving his dream of representing Scotland at senior level in the months to come. “There's loads of factors to be honest,” explained Stewart. “I do think that having a Scottish manager was a big factor for me in terms of helping me in my long-term goal, to aim to get into the Scotland squad eventually. He knows what Scotland want in a striker, so he talks to me about that. I love the fact that he's an ex-player because he knows how we feel after games, for example, he knows the emotions of football. “I liked when I chatted to him how confident he was, but how laid-back he seemed. There were so many different factors that sort of made me really like West Brom, and also another factor was just that it's local to home. My family's in London, so they're not going to have to travel four-odd hours to come watch me play. “For example in a training session if he could see that we've pushed ourselves to our limit, and let's just say Tony [Strudwick - Director of Medical] says ‘oh, we've got another set’ sometimes the gaffer's says you're not going to get anything out of it with the boys are running on empty. It's just sort of little things like that that you realise, how he understands football as a player and you appreciate that.” Comments Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.