Ray Stewart

Raymond Struan McDonald Stewart, born 7 September 1959 in Stanley, Perthshire, is a Scottish former footballer who played as a defender. Known by the nickname Tonka, he built a reputation for his powerful shooting and scored 70 league goals over his career, the vast majority from penalties. Stewart played for Dundee United, West Ham United, St Johnstone, and Stirling Albion, and earned ten caps for Scotland.

He began his senior career with Dundee United, making his debut just before his 17th birthday against Celtic, where he was tasked with marking Kenny Dalglish. In 1979, he was voted SPFA Young Player of the Year. That same year, West Ham United signed him for £430,000, a record fee for a teenage footballer at the time. Stewart made his West Ham debut in a League Cup match against Barnsley in September 1979, and scored his first goal for the club—a penalty—later that month against Burnley.

He played a key role in West Ham’s 1980 FA Cup triumph, scoring twice in the fourth round against Leyton Orient and a last-minute penalty winner in the quarter-final against Aston Villa. In the semi-final replay against Everton, he moved into central defence to replace an injured Alvin Martin. The following season, he helped West Ham win the 1980–81 Second Division title, scoring five penalties in 41 games. He also scored a penalty in the 1981 League Cup Final, a 1–1 draw with Liverpool, though West Ham lost the replay.

Stewart remained a key figure for West Ham through the 1980s. In the 1985–86 season, he scored six goals—all penalties—as the club finished third in the top flight, making him the team’s third-highest scorer behind Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie. A serious knee injury in January 1989, which ruptured two ligaments including the anterior cruciate, kept him out for fourteen months. He returned briefly in March 1990 but needed further surgery after playing too many games in a short period.

He came back for the 1990–91 season under new manager Billy Bonds, but hamstring problems limited his appearances. His final game for West Ham came in May 1991 against Charlton Athletic. In all, he scored 84 goals (all but six from penalties) in 434 appearances for the club. Despite playing in defence, he was only sent off twice, both times for comments to officials.

He is also notable as the only non-English player to have appeared in any of West Ham’s three FA Cup-winning teams (1964, 1975, 1980).

After leaving West Ham, Stewart returned to Scotland in 1991 to play for St Johnstone, and later had a brief spell with Stirling Albion in 1994. Internationally, he made his Scotland debut in May 1981 against Wales, under Jock Stein. A sending-off in an under-21 match against England in 1982 cost him a place in that year’s World Cup squad, but he was recalled under Andy Roxburgh and earned ten caps in total, scoring one goal in a 2–0 win over Northern Ireland in the 1981 British Home Championship.

Stewart moved into management in 1998, taking charge of Livingston, Stirling Albion, and Forfar Athletic. He was sacked by Livingston in 2000, left Stirling Albion in 2002 after relegation, and was dismissed by Forfar Athletic in November 2004 following a heavy Scottish Cup defeat to Montrose.