'I could have...': Scotland striker ends 203 day wait as £10m ace lifts lid on 'tough' season

The 28-year-old striker has endured a nightmare last two seasons since moving to St Mary’s for a reported fee of £10million from Sunderland in September 2023, but can finally se the light at the end of a dark tunnel after playing 65 minutes of already relegated Southampton’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Only his second start for the Saints since his megabucks move from the Black Cats, Stewart has been restricted to just 13 appearances for the club due to various injuries, but the ex-Ross County striker believes his long spell on the treatment table has instilled a mental toughness that can help him spearhead the club’s promotion push next season.

"I thoroughly enjoyed it," Stewart told the Daily Echo. "That's the reason for the dark, lonely days where I've been working the last couple of years. That's what I've been working towards. You want to be out there playing. Since I've come to this football club, all I've wanted to do is play games and try and help out. Then you get that setback with another injury or a niggle. It's tough because you just want to play games of football.

"I'd never really experienced this in my career up to the last couple of years. You talk to everybody, and everybody tries to help you and guide you. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. I've worked really hard. Like I said, the lads in the dressing room have always been a massive help as well. They have kept me in a good mental space because it's been tough at times. I'm just happy to be back out there. It's what I want to do."

Receiving his maiden call up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad in 2022, the Irvine born frontman had looked like a genuinely exciting option for the Tartan Army after bagging 26 goals in Sunderland’s 2021/22 promotion season. After coming off the bench in the Nations League games against Armenia and Republic Of Ireland, the 6ft 4in had put himself in contention for a starting XI spot after a blistering start to the EFL Championship with the Black Cats, scoring five goals in his first six games.

His form saw him briefly linked with a move to Rangers, but disaster struck when he tore his thigh muscle in the warmup before the Sunderland’s game with Middlesbrough in September 2022. While he returned briefly for the Stadium of Light outfit in December of that year, a torn Achilles ended his season just four weeks into his comeback.

He would later join Southampton in a big money move the following summer, but continued to struggle with various niggling injuries. However, the tall forward is ready to put it all behind him now and show Saints fans why he was brought to the club in the first place.

"When I came down, I could have played sooner, but we tried to take that extra time just to benefit me, and I was happy to do that," said Stewart. “Unfortunately, you take that extra time, and it still happens. There's been no reason for it all. It's just been one of these things.

"Nobody's been working harder to try and be out there than me because it's what I want to do. I came down here to play for this club in the [English] Premier League. It has been tough, not being a part of it as much as I want. I'm mentally tough, and I'm happy that I've come through it. Those 65 minutes have done me good today. Like I said, I've just got to use that and kick on now.”

Southampton will be looking to secure at least a point in order to avoid being crowned the joint-worst team in English Premier League history with Derby County when they face Leicester City in their penultimate game of the season this weekend, with the club marooned at the bottom of the table on just 11 points.