EXCLUSIVE: ‘MND is full of disappointments. I’m just lucky that I get mine every month, not every day’ – Marcus Stewart on his battle with motor neurone disease

A year has passed since he announced his devastating diagnosis, but Marcus Stewart remains impressed with the way his football friends have managed to cope.

“Everyone has done their best,” said the former Ipswich and Sunderland striker, who is battling motor neurone disease. ‘So many people have been in touch: old teammates, managers.

‘I’m sure they don’t do it to draw attention to their profile, because it is a one-on-one conversation. They don’t say it in the press. It’s a sincere, “I hope you’re doing well?”. I can appreciate.’

The latest example of an old football friend going the extra mile comes as Mail Sport speaks to Stewart. He’s in the car on the way from his home in Bristol to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. That evening he and his wife Louise will be in the audience to watch Sky’s A League of Their Own after an unexpected invitation from one of the show’s stars.

“Jamie Redknapp got in touch and asked if I’d like to come on,” says Stewart, as he later mingles backstage with that episode’s A League of Their Own guest, Gareth Bale – a fellow former player with a productive left foot.

The ex-Ipswich and Sunderland striker says his old teammates and managers have moved on

Jamie Redknapp donated two tickets for his Sky show A League of their Own to be auctioned off at the charity football match Stewart hosted at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium in May

‘I played with Jamie for England Under-15s in the old Victory Shield. But it’s been more than twenty years since I saw him. It’s nice to know that he is thinking of the MND community and myself at this time, even though we are not best friends.”

Redknapp also donated two tickets for his Sky show to be auctioned at the charity football match Stewart hosted at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Stadium in May. Redknapp’s father Harry attended the match himself, while his fellow A League of Their Own team captain Jill Scott played.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was also in attendance. Ex-Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas – who had never met Stewart before – flew back from a family holiday in Portugal to take part.

“I try to keep my emotions in check, but that game meant a lot,” Stewart said. £111,000 was raised for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, the charity jointly founded by fellow MND fighter Stephen Darby, the ex-Bradford defender. And Stewart is now looking forward to his next fundraiser, a seven-day bike ride to his seven former clubs.

Stewart has been dealing with the problem since the lockdown, for which there is currently no cure

Stewart tries to continue normally, but said he lost the grip in his left hand

The first stage of the challenge, organized by his uncle Peter Tubb, starts in Sunderland on Wednesday, with a group of Stewart’s friends and supporters cycling 350 miles to Ipswich, via Huddersfield, in four days. The 235-mile second leg will depart from Bristol City’s Ashton Gate on October 26, passing through Exeter and Yeovil before returning to Rovers’ home ground three days later.

Stewart, an avid cyclist, would like to participate, but his condition has caused him to lose the grip in his left hand. “I can still ride a bike, but the only problem I have is that the rear brakes are on the left side,” he says. ‘I should switch the brakes to the other side.

‘I have to be very careful. As much as I want to do it, the bike has to be properly set up and I have to understand that I can no longer go as crazy as I used to on the bike. I now just use Zwift indoors, where I don’t have to brake.’

Another hobby that Stewart has had to give up is golf. “I used to be able to hold the club a little bit with my left hand, while now I can’t hold it at all,” says the 50-year-old. ‘That only happened in the last two or three weeks. But it’s not like I play golf as regularly as I used to. “I’ve had some time to think about this ever happening.”

Redknapp’s father Harry attended the match himself, while his co-captain of the A League of Their Own team and former England star, Jill Scott (pictured above), played

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was also in attendance. Ex-Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas flew back from a family holiday in Portugal to take part

Stewart admits his left hand is now ‘almost unusable’. He can no longer tie his own shoes, a change from when we met in January for his first interview about his battle with MND. Since then, he has also lost more muscle strength in his left arm and his right hand is starting to feel “a bit crampy.”

But Stewart still considers himself lucky with how slowly his condition has deteriorated. “MND is full of disappointments, but I’m lucky enough to get my disappointments every month or two,” he says. ‘Many people with ALS face disappointments every day.’

Perspective came at Stewart’s last check-up in June, when his specialist was surprised that he could even walk and talk. “Normally I have to see her every six months,” he says. ‘It’s been that way since I was diagnosed. But the last time I saw her she said, “See you in 18 months.” So that’s a small victory for me.’

Another source of comfort for Stewart is the WhatsApp group he is in along with others battling ALS. Ex-Leicester and Gloucester rugby player Ed Slater is part of it, as is former Wales footballer Jason Bowen, who announced his diagnosis in February.

“I’ve played against Jason a lot,” says Stewart, who scored 19 goals as promoted Ipswich finished fifth in the Premier League in 2001. ‘That was a shock, but it’s another man with ALS that we have to try to care for.

Stewart scored 19 in the famous season 20 years ago as Ipswich secured a place in Europe

‘It’s a good WhatsApp group to be in because the majority of us are positive people. We’re throwing out information and the normal Friday or Saturday night chatter still continues. We want to laugh in circumstances that aren’t brilliant. I’ve made some good friends through the most terrible circumstances.’

When we first met, he was hesitant to put himself in the spotlight. But now he has embraced his role in raising awareness and supporting others. “I just want a quiet life – going to the pub, seeing my family, watching my kids play rugby – but I understand I have responsibilities,” he adds.

‘I don’t think about what will happen in five years or five weeks. I just live from week to week. That’s how it is for me now. It’s the next day, the next week. I just live in the moment.’

Visit to sponsor the Team Stewart Cycling Challenge for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation justgiving.com/page/peter-tubb-1683031420355