DEPARTING utility star Mark Stewart has described York City Knights fans as "the best he's ever played for" ahead of his last game in a York shirt.

As revealed by the Evening Press, the Aussie is returning down under next month, meaning Sunday's LHF Healthplan National League Two clash at home to Gateshead will be his final match in England.

And he is keen to go out on a winning note, to set the club up for a potential promotion push.

"Sunday will be my last game - and I want to finish on a high, definitely," he told the Evening Press.

"The top four teams in this competition (NL2) will be really close and when you're playing games against the teams down the bottom of the ladder, like Gateshead, you've got to make sure you get the win under your belts. For the teams that get the shock losses, it could be the difference between finishing first and second."

As for his Huntington Stadium experience, he said: "I will definitely miss it. I will never rule out coming back. I like living here, it's a nice town to live in, and the people have made me really welcome.

"The supporters are probably the best I have had at any club I've been at."

Stewart confirmed he and his girlfriend have had trouble renting out his house back in Australia, with the financial implications being one of the reasons behind their decision to return home, but he admitted there were other reasons.

"We've had trouble with the house in Australia, renting that out, and me and my girlfriend have been a bit homesick anyway," he explained.

"We've been away from home for a year or so now and we've got a few things back home like weddings that we don't want to miss so we made the decision to go."

Stewart said a downside was that he had been playing out of his favoured position. The 23-year-old has scored seven tries in his 13 games since joining towards the end of last year, with most of his appearances this season being as a winger.

He said: "I've been out on the wing all year and I've not had the opportunity to play the position I would like, loose-forward or centre."

He added: "I'm not sure exactly when we're leaving but if I'm not going to stick out the season I don't see the point of still playing when someone else could be playing in that position and getting used to it."

Updated: 10:14 Saturday, May 22, 2004