Barney Stewart breaks into laughter as he explains he was left with his family’s physical genetics, given his brothers went to university at Oxford and Cambridge. Affectionately known as “uni boy” in the confines of Falkirk Stadium, he isn’t complaining – and neither should he. Roy of the Rovers meet Barney of the Bairns, not only one of the frontmen inching Falkirk closer to the top flight but their intern too. In his third of four years studying sport and exercise science at Heriot-Watt Uni, the 21-year-old is training with and putting team-mates through their paces under head of physical performance Blair Doughty. Given his story it’s a strand which, while remarkable, seems as normal as it gets. There’s the fact he was a rising tennis star dubbed the next Fred Perry. That he represented London in Gaelic football. And that, having started this season running out in tier seven, he’s ending it on the cusp of promotion to the first. Others, most notably Raith Rovers, wanted him. Having seen him play a handful of times on their Wednesday afternoons off, John McGlynn and assistant Paul Smith needed only a day in training to settle on getting him. That was in October. By January he’d made his debut and by March he had his first goal, one which his mum Paula learned of courtesy of dad Pete’s expert commentary given she can’t bear to watch her boy in contact sport. And yet, when he left London for a scholarship at Heriot-Watt, simply being around football rather than in the beating heart of it was a compromise he was near enough at peace with. “If you told me in August this would have been my year I’d have said, ‘No way, f*** off’ – it’s been crazy,” said Stewart, as he reflected on what now seems a tantalisingly close Premiership ascent. “But there was a moment after playing Queen’s Park . I was a bit gutted as I’d injured myself but then the boys played Queen’s off the park. “We were in the changing room and the boys were like: ‘You can feel it in the air… there’s that promise – we’re so nearly there.’ “We microanalyse the next opposition so I honestly couldn’t tell you who we’re playing after – when people say one game at a time, it genuinely is for us. “I’m the middle child so I’ve got an older brother Logan who went to Oxford doing maths and computer science, then the youngest Toby is at Cambridge doing law. “They took all the smart genetics then I just had the physical ones – I’m not complaining too much! “From age three to 14, I was really good at tennis, No.1 in Middlesex and competing in national tournaments. “My dad sent me an article the other day – me when I was younger labelled as the ‘next Fred Perry’ because he’d played at the same club in London. “I loved tennis but I found with individual sports, it was too much stress, too much on your mind. “I wasn’t an angry kid but I was so competitive and if I didn’t win everything, it was the end of the world. “Then at 14ish I got introduced to Gaelic football. One of my best mates was Irish so brought me along. “I ended up going to Ireland representing London, it was unbelievable. We won a tournament called Feile. “Even last summer, after the football season, I went back to my club Tara to play and stay fit. If it was allowed I’d still be doing it but I doubt it would be! “It’s one of my favourite sports. Football was always in the background – I was at QPR when I was 14 to 16 – then there was rugby. “I was playing for the school team and Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club so I was testing the water. Monday evening I’d have football, Tuesday rugby, Wednesday Gaelic ...” His parents – who hail from Edinburgh – and brothers travelled up to see him score in last week’s 5-0 win over Morton, an early start to celebrations for his 21st on Monday. “My parents have put up with me so much, they’re so supportive,” he added. “Although my mum loves it, she gets too stressed to watch me play – especially contact sports such as rugby or Gaelic. “She would do me massive favours taking me to and from everything but she’d walk the dog around the side of the pitch. “After my goal against Airdrie my dad sent me a video – she was in the kitchen and he was having to tell her what was happening. Then my dad goes, ‘Oh, Barney’s scored’ and mum screamed the neighbourhood down celebrating. “My dad is a massive Hearts fan but says he’s turned into a Falkirk supporter. “They’re just quite happy they don’t have three bookworms, they’ve only got two and one who has an interesting job! “There was a time when I wasn’t doing very well at school and wasn’t playing a high level of sport. I haven’t made it yet but you do feel like you’ve made it a little bit.” It’s impossible to begrudge him that after leaping from Heriot-Watt Uni, in the East of Scotland First Division, to a side vying for back-to-back titles. Only when walking alongside him do you appreciate the size of him – a unit, in the words of one coach. And it’s the psychological, not the physical, he’s had to grapple with. He said: “I found the mental adjustment harder than the physical. I’ve always backed my own ability but then you get blips in your confidence. “You’ve gone from being one of the better players at a club to being the newbie. “Although I don’t question how good I know I can be, you question how good you’ve shown people you can be. “I struggled with the fact I’ve gone from scoring every game to scoring then I’ll take an assist or winning a penalty. “You’re always playing for the team but you notice it more at this level where it’s not about: ‘Oh, can I take this player on?’ “It’s more: ‘What can I do that then can help the team?’ I also struggled at first physically with the high pace of the game and muscle fatigue for recovery – but my body has adapted. “I was having good games but you couldn’t see any goals or assists to show for it. Then I started my first game against Livi and after it is when it hit me. “I was thinking: ‘You have to knuckle down – it’s real, you’re not in fairy land any more.’ “You worry about making mistakes so I had a phase where you’re nervous: ‘Oh do I this, do I do that?’ – you second guess yourself. “It’s almost in stages then the third stage was: ‘Right, that’s it, just play your game – no one is going to question you for playing your game and working hard’. “Now it feels the same as if it was at Heriot-Watt – I just need to start getting those stats to show for it.”