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ROSS STEWART is relishing the prospect of playing a leading role in Sunderland’s promotion campaign after excelling as a stand-in striker.
The 24-year-old Scot spoke out after helping guarantee the Black Cats' League One play-off berth in the worrying absence of 30-goal leading scorer Charlie Wyke.
Stewart grabbed only his second goal in Sunderland colours since moving from Ross County in January to put his team on course for a welcome 3-1 victory over Plymouth, sealed with Chris Maguire and Denver Hume’s late goals.
Stewart’s first-half strike was the highlight of an impressive overall display as he made up for lost time while he’s been kicking his heels on the sidelines in Wyke’s shadow.
And it was a personal performance that would have eased manager Lee Johnson’s concerns over Wyke’s thigh muscle injury, which meant he remained on Wearside for treatment.
Wyke is set for scans this week to determine the seriousness of the injury but if worst does come to worst, Stewart could be ready to fill the void as crunch-time looms.