As Sunderland's Marcus Stewart prepares to face his old employers at the Stadium of Light tomorrow afternoon, Sports Writer Paul Fraser caught up with the former Tractor Boy to discover what long-lasting memories he has from a special two seasons in his life at Ipswich and his other years in the game.

EUROPEAN football may not have been on the agenda for Marcus Stewart too often during a 13-year career.

But the brief encounter he did have was personally satisfying and something never to be forgotten by the man from the West Country.

After years and years of making a name for himself in the lower leagues at his hometown club Bristol Rovers and then Huddersfield, after initially being rejected as a schoolboy at Southampton, a dream ticket to the Premiership arrived at Ipswich Town in February 2000.

With promotion from the old First Division not secured, it was Stewart's three goals in the play-offs that helped secure Town's place back among the cream of English football. With a £2.5m price tag resting heavily on his shoulders, expectations were high around Portman Road following the departure of Kieron Dyer to Newcastle. Stewart did not disappoint.

In his first full season with the Tractor Boys he hit 21 goals - a record that had him on the fringes of the England scene, secured fifth place in the Premiership and, ultimately, a place in the UEFA Cup. "They were good times. Very good times. The team spirit was exceptional and I am glad to have experienced such a period at such a good club," said Stewart, fondly remembering taking part in Ipswich's first European adventure in 19 years. "I could not have wished for a better return from the UEFA Cup games I played the following season either. From the four matches I played I scored three."

Two of those arrived in a success over Swedish side Helsingborgs, while the other came in a 2-1 win in Moscow against Torpedo. That form may have earned a glamour third round tie with Inter Milan but Stewart was nowhere to be seen in either leg.

Unsurprisingly, the Italian giants knocked George Burley's side out of the competition. The end of Ipswich's run in the competition they won under the management of Bobby Robson in 1981. A comprehensive 4-1 defeat at the San Siro and all Stewart could do was watch in the stands as his team-mates succumbed to the might of Milan.

"I had played in the games building up to that round and there's not much you can do about it when you are injured," said Stewart. "It's just a case of never mind and you hope another chance will come along. I have plenty of memorabilia from the whole adventure. It was a truly awesome experience.

"The shirts I have from my trips are at home and I will get round to getting them framed one day. I'll probably hang them on my wall at home or something. I've never got round to doing it yet but I will, probably when I retire. "It was frustrating when I broke my jaw in training because I was really enjoying the time the club was having. One day I was playing and the next I was ruled out for six weeks, or something like that."

The Bristol-born forward insists that spell on the sidelines was 'not a long time' but his unfortunate clash with Ipswich team-mate Pablo Counago in a five-a-side match proved the turning point in his career.

As well as the blow ripping shreds into Ipswich's hopes of climbing away from the basement in an effort to avoid relegation back down to the Football League, Stewart was never able to repeat his first-season heroics for the Suffolk club.

Relegation did fall on Ipswich, along with Leicester and Derby. But before he departed for Sunderland there was one last appearance in the UEFA Cup. Ipswich had qualified via the Fair Play League and Stewart scored the winning goal in the qualifier in Luxembourg against minnows Avennir Beggen.

That proved to be his swansong goal for the club before Peter Reid paid a combined £10m for him and Tore Andre Flo in an attempt to steer Sunderland to safety.

Hailed as the men that were going to save Reid from the sack and keep the Black Cats in the top-flight, the pair were held partly responsible by sections of the club's supporters when neither objectives were achieved.

"We were the last throw of the dice," said Stewart, ahead of tomorrow's game on Wearside when his current club take on his former employers. "I know that and so did Tore Andre. When it did not work out many fans blamed us and I'm aware of that.

"Peter Reid went, Howard Wilkinson came in and there was a lot of pressure on us to perform. It just never happened and even now there are some that still blame us.

"I can see why. It didn't happen in our first season together. But I've been here to do a job ever since and I would like to think I have done my best to do that job."

To be held in that sort of regard has never worked its way to Stewart in the past. The 32-year-old was worshipped at Bristol Rovers, despite being a City fan, where he scored 74 goals in his first five years as a professional footballer.

He first arrived at Twerton Park as a raw teenager, during Rovers' days of Gerry Francis, having failed to convince Southampton to gamble on his talents.

By the time Stewart was ready to step up to the first team level with the Pirates, Martin Dobson had taken over and it was his decision to hand the young striker a chance to make a name for himself in the Football League.

"It was strange to be playing for Rovers. I had been a City fan all my life," said Stewart, who nearly signed for the Robins in the summer. "But Rovers had a better youth development and I jumped at the chance to go there. It worked out well and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Gerry may have given me my first pro contract but it was down to Martin really because he gave me my debut."

A £1.2m switch to Huddersfield arrived in 1996. He spent four years there and had the privilege of working with Steve Bruce for a short time.

And he has been back to the McAlpine Stadium - which has since changed its name to the Galpharm Stadium - where he is hailed as one of the best strikers in the Terriers' recent history, having netted 68 times in 156 appearances.

It hurts Stewart to see Huddersfield struggling in the lower regions of the Football League after failing to come to terms with cash troubles and power battles in recent years.

The sale of Stewart to Ipswich did help ease finances at the Yorkshire club. And there is a chance that he will be sacrificed again next summer if Sunderland choose to allow him to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires.

If that is the route taken a return to Huddersfield may not be out of the question. But first he wants to sign off in style by ensuring Sunderland, with hopefully Ipswich, reclaim their place back among the hierarchy of the English game.

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