Marcus Stewart gives his reaction after Yeovil and Bristol Rovers honour him in a special match at Huish Park on Saturday afternoon.
The 52 year old former footballer diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in September 2022, has stepped down from his coaching role at Yeovil Town due to the physical limitations caused by the disease.
Marcus who served as head of player development, explained that his battle with MND is progressively affecting his independence, making tasks like brushing his teeth or putting on shoes difficult.
But he made the decision to leave his role to avoid being unable to fulfill his duties mid-season, with Stewart still raising awareness and funds for MND research, including a 180-mile walk for the Darby Rimmer Foundation.
A ‘Match For Marcus’ was held, celebrating his contributions and support the MND cause, with Stewart commitment to helping others with MND who lack a platform, alongside figures like Kevin Sinfield, Stephen Darby, and Ed Slater, to raise funds and find a cure.
Yeovil Town and Bristol Rovers players stop their warm ups to pay their appreciation to Marcus Stewart. 💙💚 #UTG pic.twitter.com/WKsV7XSSFK
— Dan Hargraves (@DanJHargraves) July 19, 2025
Thank You, Marcus Stewart! 💚#YTFC 💚 pic.twitter.com/ROB92eqN4B
— Yeovil Town FC (@YTFC) July 19, 2025
Interviewer: “Marcus, just sum up your your feelings today. How did that feel today?”
Marcus: “Listen. It’s great, Dan. I was saying to someone just now. I think it’s really hard for me to explain it now. I need, like, a week to reflect on it and kinda come down a bit because these days, I’ve been on them before when it’s a match for me or a different event.
“Like yesterday with Syd Lawrence’s funeral, I think in two or three days time it kinda hits me and take out of me a bit more.
“Whereas of course instantly it’s great that people turn up 2,200, 2,300 turn up so it’s humbling. I’d rather not there not be an event for me, I’m honest, in the circumstances.
“I’d rather just a normal pre season game where you haven’t got the faff of support and so on, but I’m pleased and humbled that people do support.”
Interviewer: “I mean, you’ve had this the fight with MND, you’ve joined that, you support the Darby – Rimmer Foundation, you’ve done so many different events. You know, you are allowed to have an event that’s set around you as a player, as a human being.”
Marcus: “I know. When Ian West said it to me, towards end of last season in March, I was like, are you sure? He went, ‘yeah, I was speaking to the chairman’, which is Martin Hellier at the time. And I was like, ‘I’m not so sure’. He’s like, ‘Marcus, come on. Day for you.’ Alright. Okay.
“And off the back of that, I’ve let get on with it. Obviously, Martin’s left, Ian’s still here, and Stuart Robbins’s still here, and Dave’s taken over the baton. Well, Stuart has. And he’s done a great job today. He’s got brilliant. Programmes were brilliant. The hospitality was brilliant that we had. I’ve even got a framed shirt of mine and a picture of mine upstairs in the foyer now alongside Skivo.”
Interviewer: “How does that feel?
Marcus: “I’m alongside Skivo, good captain.”
Interviewer: “How does it feel that you’ve had that lasting impact on those that are here?”
Marcus: “Yeah. It’s nice because, you know, I know Yeovil were putting the event on, but I felt in the second half that I had to go and sit with the Rovers fans. So that’s what I did. 500 of them have come down here and Yeovil and Bristol Rovers are my two favourite clubs in the South West, it is that simple. I wanted to show respect for the fact so many Rovers fans travelled down and I would have thought some of them would have travelled down regardless of it being my event. Yeovil have been brilliant, from the evening they had with me at the end of last season to this what is going on now, they have been brilliant.”
Interviewer: “And Mark joked beforehand that he quite enjoyed you taking the, let’s say, Mick for PG sakes out of him for an hour beforehand. I mean, is that something you’ll miss? That sort of collapse, the sort of environment?
Marcus: “I don’t know yet. Yeah. I do enjoy coming back and having a bit of banter in the staff room, but I do not know what I will miss about the game yet, ask me in a few months after my life has settled down a bit.”
Interviewer: “And having looked at the two sides out there, we’ll talk about Yeovil as I say, there’s a Yeovil press conference. How do you feel they looked out there?”
Marcus: “I thought it was a pre-season game, you know, thought Yeovil stronger first half. You know, I think things change when Rovers bringing a couple of players on second half. Yeovil will bring a couple of players on second half. Then they bring a couple of players on during the half, second half, and it kinda disjoints the game. It makes it a bit there wasn’t a lot of control in the game from Yeovil’s point of view, but I think you put that down to the amount of changes that you’re doing really. And that’s just how it is.
“Like like Coops has said before, I just think it’s so important that players are fit, and players are getting fit, and you wanna full squad ready for the start of the season really. But he would have been pleased with the first half.”
Marcus Stewart gives update on his battle with motor neurone disease after leaving Yeovil
