MARCUS STEWART has his sights set on beating Town today – but says he would be delighted to see his old mate Lee Clark win promotion this season.

The Exeter City frontman makes his fourth return to the Galpharm since leaving Town for Ipswich in January 2000 saying: “I haven’t got good enough things to say about the place and the people around the area.

“They are a club that should be in the Championship and I hope they do it this season.

“I had some great times there, three years towards the top of the Championship.

“They have got a good young manager and they deserve to be back in the second tier.”

Stewart, who played alongside Clark for England Schoolboys, scored 68 goals in 160 games for Town after moving from Bristol Rovers for £1.2m in the 1996 close-season.

Controversially sold for £2.5m to Ipswich Town in January 2000, he was a big hit at Portman Road, helping the club win promotion to the Premier League, then a place in Europe, before joining Sunderland for £3.25m in August 2002.

He has also played for Bristol City and Yeovil Town, and joined Exeter in 2008, helping them win promotion from League II last season.

The Devon side are holding their own, and Stewart added: “I go back to Huddersfield wanting to win, it’s as simple as that. I want Town to do well but only after this afternoon’s game has finished.

“It will be a similar kind of atmosphere to Charlton – a similar size of stadium and another good surface to play on.

“It is going to be a difficult place for us to go, but I feel we have got the quality to get something.

“We have done okay against the bigger teams this season. But the next thing we must do is to get the opening goal against them and see what kind of mettle they have got.

“Having won last weekend (Hartlepool were beaten 3-1), the pressure is off and we want to go there and enjoy ourselves.

“I usually get a good reception when I go back there and after I put myself about a bit then I get a few shouts from the crowd!

“But I find that a positive when fans start chanting your name and giving you a bit of stick because it proves you have done something in your career.”

For the record, Stewart’s previous Galpharm returns have brought two defeats (2-0 with Bristol City in August 2005 and 1-0 with Yeovil in August 2007) and one win (3-2 with Yeovil in September 2006).

He has faced Town eight times in all since departing, scoring once (in Ipswich’s 2-1 victory in February 2000).