Greg Stewart turned up to Cowdenbeath trial in full Rangers tracksuit, reveals Scott Linton
SCOTT LINTON recalls an unknown Greg Stewart arriving for a trial at Cowdenbeath dressed in a full Rangers tracksuit.
Now Linton insists his pal, who has penned a two-year deal with Gers, will be the perfect fit for his boyhood idols.
Strike star Stewart was a late starter in the senior game, not switching from Stirling-based Syngenta Amateurs to the Blue Brazil until the age of 20.
Linton remembers it took him two more years to become a regular at Central Park and get his big break with a move to Dundee.
But Stewart, now 29, is making up for lost time and Linton believes he’s got the talent to make the most of his long-awaited switch to Gers.
He told SunSport: “Greg turned up for a trial at Cowdenbeath in a Rangers trackie — it was the jumper and shorts.
“I remember thinking, ‘Who is this guy and why’s he wearing a Rangers tracksuit to come and train with Cowdenbeath?’.
“I’ll never forget it. Usually, the club would give trialists some kit and I can’t ever remember anyone else rocking up in random gear.
“We didn’t even have time to have a go at him because, within five minutes of him turning up, we could all see his talent.
“I know what this move will mean for him and I’m buzzing for him.
“I hope he hits the ground running — and he will probably have that same tracksuit on when he reports for training on Monday morning.”
Stirling-born Stewart has taken a less orthodox route to Ibrox than the likes of fellow strikers Jermain Defoe and Kyle Lafferty.
Linton, who has just signed a deal to play under former Gers skipper Barry Ferguson at Kelty Hearts next season, said: “I had the pleasure of playing with Greg for four years.
“He’d been at Hearts until the age of 14 or 15 and then I think he drifted into the amateur game. He’d been at Syngenta before coming to Cowdenbeath.
“I don’t think he played a professional game until the age of 20. The main problem for him at that stage was fitness.
“There’s a real difference between professional and amateur football and it took Greg a wee while to get up to the required standard.
“But his technique was top-class from the start. Nothing fazed him and it was just going to be a matter of time until he made his impact.”
It took Stewart until the November of his maiden season at Central Park before he broke his goalscoring duck in the First Division.
Linton said: “Greg was an impact player off the bench for a long time. It wasn’t until his final season at Cowdenbeath that he really got going.
“I’d moved to Dumbarton and actually played against him that season. He played up front with Kane Hemmings and they had a brilliant season.
"Greg always had the ability and I don’t know whether he’d reached the point when his fitness had kicked in, too.
“Maybe it was just one of those seasons, one of those special partnerships up front — but he scored a lot of goals and everyone could see his natural ability.”
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Paul Hartley swooped to take Stewart to Dundee, with a switch south to Birmingham City following two years later.
The move to St Andrew’s turned sour with changes in manager at the Blues and he was restricted to just 21 appearances in three years.
Loan spells with Aberdeen and Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock reminded everyone of the scoring threat posed by Stewart.
Now boss Steven Gerrard has added Stewart to summer signings Jake Hastie and Jordan Jones as he plots a trophy tilt next term.
Linton added: “In his first season at Cowdenbeath, we were 3-0 down at Stirling and the gaffer threw on myself, Greg and Marc McKenzie.
“Greg turned the game on its head and we scored four goals in the last 13 minutes to win 4-3 — with him scoring the winner in injury time.
“When I moved to Dumbarton, we tended to have the upper hand on Cowdenbeath in the Championship matches but he was always a dangerous opponent.
“He’s a player who likes to come deep and pick up the ball in space. He won’t drop the shoulder and surge past you with electric pace.
“But he’s such an intelligent player, very relaxed on the ball and aware of space and everything that’s going on around him.
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“This move will be great for him. Everyone knows he is a big Rangers fan and there were murmurs of a move to Ibrox when Mark Warburton was the manager.
“He’s been at Kilmarnock and Aberdeen since then and clearly he is highly-rated by a lot of managers, including Steven Gerrard.
“He is a good guy, really down to earth. He’s not the loudest guy in the dressing room — he can be quite reserved — but he likes to chip in and get involved.”
Stewart will report with his new team-mates on Monday, ahead of their trip to a training base in Portugal a week later.
Linton, meanwhile, is turning over a new chapter in his own career after ending a decade in the SPFL with a switch to the Lowland League.
He said: “I played under Barry at Clyde and he sold this move to me. I’ve been playing at the same grounds for ten years so I’m looking forward to a change.”