James Morrison should be on red alert after what £1.3m West Brom striker has just done | OneFootball

Barney Stewart scored his first two goals for the Scotland Under-21s as he works towards being a regular starter for West Brom

West Brom underwent a big refresh at the top end of the pitch this past summer, with a couple of bright young prospects replacing players who had been at the Hawthorns for several years.

Indeed, Josh Maja, Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike all left at the culmination of their contracts, with Chelsea starlet Jimmy-Jay Morgan and rising Scottish star Barney Stewart arriving to form a new-look striker core with last season's marquee signing Aune Heggebo and, when fit, Tammer Bany.

It was a sign that the Baggies were looking to prioritise the future, but while Morgan has been thrust into the action from the off and has thrived, Stewart has had to bide his time.

However, after a big performance on international duty with the Scotland Under-21s, it may not be long before James Morrison is forced to give the 22-year-old some more game time from the off in league action.

Barney Stewart's slow start to life at West Brom

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Stewart only made his professional debut for Falkirk back in January 2025, so for him to be moving to one of the bigger-name clubs in the Championship for a reported £1.3 million just 18 months later outlines his rapid growth.

The 22-year-old began last season playing in the Scottish Championship with Dunfermline Athletic before scoring 10 in 21 in all competitions in the second half of the campaign for the Bairns.

The jump in level in such a short space of time meant that there was bound to be some bedding in needed with Stewart, unlike Morgan, who played elite youth football before a loan spell in League One with Peterborough United last year.

The Scot has started every league game on the bench for the Baggies, coming on in seven of the eight games, while Heggebo and Morgan have been the starting two for James Morrison.

Barney Stewart should be in line for more starting minutes at West Brom after recent Scotland U21 performance

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Interestingly, during Heggebo's two-game ban for the successful deception of a match official against Norwich City, James Morrison opted for Felix Horn Myhre behind Morgan, rather than continue playing two up front.

Evidently, he hasn't deemed Stewart ready to start league games at all so far this season, but 16- and 29-minute appearances off the bench in the two outings leading up to this international break indicate that perhaps he's working his way up the Baggies pecking order.

And after his exploits while on international duty with Scotland's Under-21s, he may find himself returning to a new role at the Hawthorns.

Stewart netted his first two goals for Scott Gemmill's side in the young Tartan Army's 5-2 win over Azerbaijan in their recent U21 Euros qualification matchup. Both were poacher's efforts — his first a difficult header and the other tapping in from a cutback from mere yards out.

It may be clichéd, but those are the goals you want your striker scoring, getting in good positions and being clinical when the opportunity comes.

Scotland's Under-21s are back in action again next Tuesday, travelling to Bulgaria. Neither side can qualify for the tournament in Albania and Serbia this summer, but the winners will finish third in their group.

Barney Stewart should replace Aune Heggebo in the West Brom eleven for the visit of Birmingham City

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Certain sections of the West Brom fanbase are getting a little tired of Heggebo leading their line.

The 25-year-old arrived with a certain weight of expectation last summer, given he was the Baggies' marquee signing, costing them €5.5 million from Brann. At his former club, too, he'd netted seven in 13 Norwegian top-flight outings that season.

Heggebo had a difficult opening season in the Championship. He scored just nine goals from 72 shots all year, underperforming his expected goals by nearly two, and just one of those strikes happened in his final 25 league games.

And while it is only early days this season, the frontman isn't showing signs of shaking off that slow start and acclimatising to the Championship. He has two goals in seven games, but has missed big chances against QPR and Watford and, overall, his play outside of finishing — winning duels and creating chances for others — hasn't been great.

Baggies fans shouldn't completely give up on Heggebo, but the 25-year-old could perhaps benefit from one or two games out of the firing line, especially when Stewart seems to be banging on the door of the starting eleven himself.

West Brom can be excited about a strike partnership of Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Barney Stewart

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Ultimately, that double signing of Morgan and Stewart in the summer indicated a changing of the guard up top for West Brom, so seeing both start together would be incredibly exciting regarding the future of the club.

But not only that, with how well Stewart was able to finish inside the box against Azerbaijan, there's every possibility that the 22-year-old and his fellow summer signing could combine brilliantly up top.

Morgan often likes to drift out to the left in games, and we've already seen his ability to set up his teammates. Two of his three assists were for Heggebo's goals this season.

With Stewart at the end of those chances, the Baggies could profit with more goals, as they look to prove that this solid start wasn't just a flurry of good form which ultimately peters out as the season goes on.