Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter has provided a positive update on defender Cameron Stewart, saying he’s feeling “upbeat” after undergoing successful surgery on a brain aneurysm earlier this week.

Clubs, players and supporters from across the Irish League offered their well wishes to Stewart, who turned 28 on Tuesday, after Carrick confirmed the serious situation on Friday evening.

Former Coleraine, Crusaders, Linfield and Glentoran ace Stewart is now being monitored and recovering in hospital following the operation.

Stewart has made 51 Premiership appearances across three seasons at Carrick since arriving from the Glens in 2022 and has also won two Irish League titles throughout his career to date – one with the Crues in 2015/16 and again at Linfield in 2017/18.

placeholder image — Carrick Rangers defender Cameron Stewart has underwent successful surgery on a brain aneurysm. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

Carrick chief Baxter has been in contact with both Stewart and his family and says the centre-back is in good spirits after a worrying time.

"I had a good conversation with Cameron yesterday (Friday) on the phone and he was great - he was bright, chatting and he was through the operation that he had to go through in the early hours of Tuesday morning,” he told the club’s media channel. “These things come as a big shock when you hear of a young person who has a bleed hemorrhage to the brain, and when you start talking about the brain it's always very worrying.

"We were terribly worried about it...I spoke with his father straight away to find out everything about it.

"It's very good news - he's feeling upbeat, positive and the surgeons have said to him he's very young, strong and healthy and will fight his way through this.

"There just has to be necessary precautions over the next five to seven days and if everything goes well he will be released from hospital and back among us.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and Cameron and we're very, very hopeful that this will be 100% fine in the coming days."

Stewart’s Carrick team-mates were in action on Saturday afternoon, claiming a point during their stalemate with Glentoran at Taylors Avenue – a result which impacted the Glens’ automatic European hopes ahead of a midweek meeting with Larne.

It marked Carrick’s 10th league clean sheet of the season – only four teams have collected more – and Baxter was proud to deliver a positive point for Stewart, who was listening to proceedings on the radio.

"It was Cameron's type of day - we had to defend the ball stoutly and exceptionally well, and we did that,” he added. “I was so pleased with the team today with how hard they battled and how little they gave Glentoran.

"The two chances we created in the last five or 10 minutes might have taken the game away and gave us three points, but we'll be very pleased with the effort.

"I'm sure Cameron listening on the radio will be pleased. He's up and he's bright and in good form...I'm sure he will be excited by that point."