Damion Stewart's steady improvement at QPR since arriving from Bradford continued in 2008/09 when he was crowned the fans' and players' player of the season.
DOB - 08/08/1980
Height - 6ft 3ins
Weight 13st 8lbs
Contract - 2011
When Gary Waddock took over as manager after Ian Holloway's departure he told the supporters not to judge him until he'd had a chance to bring his own players into the club. The first summer signing he made with a view to creating his own QPR team was Jamaican centre half Damion Stewart.
Stewart spent 2005/06 on loan with League One outfit Bradford City but he chose to step up a level and sign a permanent deal with QPR rather than stay at Valley Parade. Bantams manager Colin Todd expressed disappointment at the players decision but admitted that his side had little chance of holding onto him with a whole host of Championship clubs chasing his signature.
QPR paid a nominal fee to Stewarts' parent club Harbour View. Stewart, nicknamed 'Stew Peas' by his international team mates has thirty one caps for Jamaica and the first glimpse QPR fans had of their new signing was when he played for the Reggae Boys against England at Old Trafford before the World Cup. Although Stewart's side was on the wrong end of a 6-0 hammering he looked the best of a bad bunch and kept Michael Owen quiet for the most part.
Stewart led Harbour View to their first title in five years in 2004 before scoring one goal in twenty starts for Bradford. He has a reputation as a strong, uncompromising defender, prone to moments of genius and rushes of blood to the head in equal measure.
Stewart was just one game short of an ever present 2006-07 season. Although he didn't have the best of starts, he excelled when John Gregory took over at the helm and with every game he played, he improved and was almost a late contender for the QPR Player of the Year award.
In 2007/08 he discovered some excellent goal scoring form with five headers from set pieces in the first half of the season. He was dropped from the side after the January arrival of Matt Connolly and Fitz Hall but injuries and suspensions got him back in the side towards the end of the season and while still prone to lapses in concentration he proved to be a very useful player to have in the squad bringing lightening pace to the table as his main asset.
Stewart enjoyed his best QPR season so far in 2008/09. He walked away with both main Player of the Year awards at the end of a season in which his highlight was a superb defensive performance against John Carew in the League Cup at Aston Villa where he scored the winning goals. After Christmas one or two of those trademark errors started to creep in, a spectacular own goal at Doncaster for example, but overall he was clearly the most outstanding player for Rangers over the course of the season keeping first Kaspars Gorkss and then Fitz Hall out of the team.
| Career Stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | Apps(as sub) | Goals |
| QPR | 2008 - 09 | 43 | 4 |
| QPR | 2007 - 08 | 37(4) | 5 |
| QPR | 2006 - 07 | 49 | 2 |
| Bradford (loan) | 2005 - 06 | 20(5) | 1 |
| Harbour View | 2004 - 05 | N/A | N/A |