In a twenty-year professional career that started with five highly-successful seasons at Bristol Rovers, Marcus Stewart brought down the curtain on his time as a footballer with three seasons at St James’ Park between 2008 and 2011. He most notably appeared for Huddersfield and Ipswich as well as Sunderland, Bristol City and Yeovil Town.   

Marcus signed for Bristol Rovers as a trainee in 1989 and, turning professional in July 1991 netted 57 goals in 171 league matches prior to moving to Huddersfield Town in July 1996 for a fee of £1.2m. A great favourite at Huddersfield, Marcus made 133 league appearances and scored 58 goals during his time in the West Riding before, somewhat controversially, being sold to Ipswich Town in February 2000 for £2.3m. Now playing in the top-flight, Marcus - with nineteen goals - was the Premier League’s most prolific English-born goalscorer during 2000/01 as the Suffolk side qualified for Europe.

With Ipswich’s subsequent relegation, Marcus was on the way to Sunderland in August 2002 for £3.25m where he remained for three seasons. He then joined Bristol City in June 2005 but, after briefly appearing on loan for Preston North End, switched to Yeovil Town on loan in August 2006. With the deal soon being made permanent Marcus enjoyed two seasons at Huish Park before, at the age of thirty-five, agreeing terms with Exeter City in July 2008.

With City freshly returned to the Football League, Marcus made his Grecians debut at Darlington on 9 August 2008 and, as the club successfully mounted another promotion bid, notched seven goals from 39 league and cup appearances. 

As City stepped up to League One, Marcus became more involved with coaching whilst continuing to play as he scored his 250th Football League goal at Carlisle United in August 2009. Scoring once more during 2009/10, Marcus played fewer than a dozen times in the following season before fittingly playing his last-ever Football League game against Bristol Rovers on 9 April 2011.

Having retired as a player Marcus spent a season on the coaching staff at Exeter City ahead of becoming a development coach, and later assistant manager, at Bristol Rovers. In 2019 Marcus briefly followed manager Darrell Clarke to Walsall before his later appointment as head of player development at Yeovil Town in June 2022. 

A few months afterwards, in September 2022, it was announced that Marcus had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.