After a tough few weeks, Harhys Stewart looks forward to big break with the Lions
Something that had been missing from Young Lions midfielder Harhys Stewart for a few weeks returned on Monday, during his first training session with the national team: A wide smile.
There are five debutants in Takayuki Nishigaya’s Lions squad for the friendlies against Papua New Guinea on Friday and Solomon Islands on Sunday, but none have welcomed the maiden call-up as much as Stewart.
As captain of the national Under-22 squad which has been under intense scrutiny after a dismal SEA Games campaign that included a 7-0 loss to Malaysia, Stewart would have felt the mental turmoil more than others.
He described the last few weeks as being “very difficult”.
Critics slammed the team on social media, while back in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), the Young Lions lost five straight matches after returning from the Games in Cambodia.
Last week’s 4-3 defeat by Tanjong Pagar United was particularly demoralising as the developmental side threw away a 3-1 lead and conceded the winner in the 89th minute.
Reflecting on the eventful few weeks, Stewart said: “It wasn’t easy for me, personally. I have my family who I can look to for guidance and I tried to take my mind off football, go out with my family and do other things apart from football.”
On the media scrutiny and comments, the full-time national serviceman, 22, said: “Obviously it’s difficult to not see the comments. It’s been probably the most difficult moment in my short career... But I’m ready to move on.”
A phone call from Lions’ team manager Eric Ong last Thursday to notify him of his maiden national call-up lifted his spirits.
“I was not really expecting it. It’s a very proud moment for me and my family and I am very thankful to everyone who has helped me to get to this point of my journey,” said Stewart, after a training session at the Kallang Football Hub.
Born to a Welsh father and a Malay mother, Stewart spent much of his childhood in the United Arab Emirates and Finland before returning to Singapore in 2015.
He is now eager to make his stay with the national team permanent.
He said: “I was always working towards this goal (of reaching the national team). I was always working to be ready for it and now the time has come.
“I’m just hoping that I can put my front foot forward, give my best and now the next goal is to try and stay here and keep getting called up.”
A repeat call-up could also mean being in the national squad with his older brother Ryhan, who has eight caps for Singapore but was left out. Nishigaya wants the 23-year-old to have an uninterrupted pre-season after joining Thai top-tier side BG Pathum United in May.
Stewart, together with fellow debutant, Tanjong Pagar’s Fathullah Rahmat, 20, are two of the younger options for Nishigaya to deploy in the heart of midfield in the two friendlies at the National Stadium.
On why he had drafted them, Nishigaya said the have shown qualities to be future Lions with their performances in the SPL and for the national U-22 team.
The Japanese tactician is expecting a “physical challenge” from the Papuans and Solomon Islands.
He said: “Their players have individual power and speed, and we will need to be prepared to counter that.
“It is always good for our team to be exposed to different styles of play and these two opponents will offer us a good test.”
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