The striker finally departed the club following their West of Scotland Cup win a fortnight ago before signing for Super League First Division side Kilsyth Rangers at the end of last week.

His departure follows four years of commitment to the club he was brought to in 2011 by former boss Sandy MacLean.

Shift patterns and travelling eventually took their toll on Stewart, who had previously taken a break from the game due to his work.

Former Ardrossan Winton Rovers forward Stewart has decided enough is enough — but the man fans dubbed ‘Tiny’ insists he will cherish the memories of his time at Dunterlie.

Stewart said: “Naturally I’m gutted to be leaving the club. Arthurlie are a fantastic club, with good fans, a good committee and people who have the club’s best interests at heart.

“I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy four years here, and the first two seasons in particular will stay with me. I’ve struggled for whatever reason the last couple of seasons due to injury and my work, but the first two years were fantastic — scoring 25 goals in 22 games is a particular highlight.

“But, there comes a time were you need to move on. I think it is probably best for both myself and the club if we went our separate ways and I just want to get back to enjoying my football again.

“Arthurlie holds nothing but good memories for me, I still enjoyed my time there even through the bad, and I’ve met a lot of good friends.” By joining Kilsyth, Stewart links up with former Arthurlie teammate Keith Hogg, who manages the Duncansfield Park side.

Stewart revealed he turned down various offers from across the leagues in order to sign for a side he believes will give him the best opportunity to get back into the swing of things on the scoring front.

He knows it will take a lot of hard work to get back to where he wants to be but hopes to start finding the back of the net sooner rather than later.

Stewart added: “Kilsyth is local to me and my work so it is an ideal situation. Knowing the manager is obviously a big pull.

“There were times at Arthurlie where I was turning up to games at 1.45pm, when kick-off was at 2pm. That wasn’t ideal for anyone involved and it affected my game.

“Hopefully by going to Kilsyth it will give me a chance to get fit, get a run of games and basically fall back in love with football.

“I’m not saying I haven’t enjoyed the last couple of years, but it has been very tough at times.

“The hard work begins soon with pre season training and that will give me a good gauge of where I am and where I need to be.” A breathtaking first campaign saw Stewart quickly cement himself as a fans’ favourite at Dunterlie Park.

Crucial strikes against the likes of Kirkintilloch Rob Roy in his debut year, and against Pollok last season, proved he was an asset to a number of managers over the seasons he donned the blue and white.

However, he insists his highlight would be proving a number of people wrong.

He said: “I think coming from Ardrossan a lot of people weren’t sure if I would be able to make the step up to the Super Leagues with Arthurlie.

“I knew I had to hit the ground running as soon as I came in and to be fair the amount of goals I scored alone is a highlight for me.

“The 25 goals or whatever it was I scored proved a lot of people wrong, and some people said I single handedly kept the team up that first year.

“I don’t see it like that, as a striker it is my job to score, but there were some key goals in there.

“Strangely enough my favourite would be against Pollok, even though got beaten 3-1 — that one sticks out for some reason.” With Tiny preparing to enter a new chapter of his football career both he and Arthurlie are at a crossroads.

Robert Downs is preparing to take charge of his first full season at Dunterlie, while Stewart is set for his first season away from the club.

Looking back on his time he thanks the fans for their continued support throughout his time at the club, before insisting the side are in good shape under the current regime.

Stewart added: “I would like to thank the supporters for everything over the past few seasons.

“I wouldn’t have changed anything from my time at the club, though I would have liked if we weren't always in a relegation battle.

“Last season was probably the hardest, relegation wasn’t in our hands but nonetheless I’ve enjoyed my time there.

“The committee have been brilliant with me, I’ve worked under some great managers and I’ve played alongside some great players over the seasons.

“I wish the club all the best, and hope they have a good season next year.”