Stewart's remarkable rise from Scottish juniors to World Cup

Stewart's remarkable rise from Scottish juniors to World CupImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ross Stewart could fire Southampton to the Premier League before heading to the World Cup with ScotlandByMartin Watt, BBC Sport Scotland and Nick McPheat, BBC Sport ScotlandPublished2 minutes agoAs blood spurted from his shattered nose and taunts rained down from the ramshackle terraces, Ross Stewart felt his love of football reignited.Having been discarded by professional clubs, the striker's confidence wasn't the only thing that took a battering as he turned to the junior game to rescue his fledgling career.It proved the making of Stewart, who was then a raw and gangly 18-year-old and now, a decade later, is a prolific forward whose goals for promotion-chasing Southampton have thrust him into the Scotland World Cup squad.It's been an unconventional route to prominence for the Ayrshireman, who turned out for local junior clubs Ardeer Thistle and Kilwinning Rangers after several unsuccessful years in the pro-youth system with St Mirren, Celtic and latterly Partick Thistle."It has served me well," Stewart told BBC Scotland back in 2022. "When I went and played juniors, being in an adult environment, I really took to it and fell back in love with football, the camaraderie and the banter."You're not treated like a youth player, you're treated like an adult. I was playing well and scoring goals and just worked my way up the junior leagues, then got my chance to go back to the senior set-up."No theatre or Scotland curveballs from loyal ClarkePublished1 hour ago'Big game scorer' Stewart and Curtis make Scotland World Cup squadPublished6 hours agoPodcast: Reaction to Scotland World Cup squadAttributionSoundsCharles sends Saints past Boro and into play-off finalWonky noses & dad paying transfer feeTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, &#...