Team of the season and title silverware: The breakthrough of Portsmouth’s outstanding young hope
What a season it’s been for the Pompey academy graduate north of the border - capped by the emerging talent being crowned a Scottish Championship winner last night.
Pompey’s rising star Toby Steward celebrated the crowning achievement of a breakout campaign as he lifted the Scottish Championship title last night.
The Blues’ exciting young keeper capped an outstanding season on loan with St Johnstone, as they sealed the second-tier title north of the border.
Steward soars with flying campaign in Scottish Championship
A 2-0 success at Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic meant Simo Valakari’s side are champions with two games to spare and return to the SPL at the first time of asking.
Steward’s side were backed by 3,000 travelling fans as he picked up the 18th clean sheet of a brilliant stay away from PO4 in Perth.
The 21-year-old’s stock has risen from the experience, with the former Henry Cort Community College pupil earning a stack of plaudits from a string of impressive displays across the season.
That saw Steward earn lofty recognition last week as he was named in the Scottish Professional Footballers’ Association teams of the season, which sees players vote for their peers.
St Johnstone led the division from the campaign’s outset and never relinquished their grasp, with Valakari lauding his player’s efforts.
He told the BBC: ‘It was our first chance to win this league and they showed no mercy, that tells me a lot about this team.
‘We played our style. It didn't matter where we were. We went to difficult places and we played out football. That's what has made us champions.
‘There were some key moments. We lost at Partick Thistle in November but we stuck with our principles and our values and that day I knew we would win the league.’
Academy graduate to vie for Pompey playing time in pre-season
Steward’s progress this season was noted by Pompey fans, coming off the back of an eye-catching stint in League One with Crawley at the end of last term.
FA documents published earlier this month showed the keeper has signed a new deal until the end of next season, with Pompey holding an option to extend the academy graduate’s stay by another 12 months.
Speaking over his thinking on Steward’s future in February, Blues boss John Mousinho made it clear the academy graduate is wanted at PO4 moving forward.
Mousinho indicated the plan will be for the keeper to challenge for a spot with the likes of Nico Schmid and Ben Killip in pre-season, before a decision is made on his pathway next term.
He said: ‘We’ve got an option on Toby. He will be here next year challenging for a spot -that’s the plan for Toby.
‘Now whether we then go for one more year on loan, I don’t know, it will depend on what the level is because I think he’s now stepped up really well. He’s part of a side who is absolutely flying this year in the Scottish second division.
‘We then have to see if we think the jump is from there to the Championship, or maybe to someone in League One.
‘I don’t know about that, but Toby has done well enough this year to come back and really warrant pushing for a place in that goalkeeping department, at least.’