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Stewart Drummond came into the Morecambe squad after progressing through the youth teams before the days of Morecambe's Youth Academy.

His early days playing in the first team were largely unsuccessful with Stewart struggling to win over the fans and no one could have predicted the future ahead of him.

Despite pressure from the terraces for Drummond to be dropped, Jim Harvey kept faith with the youngster and claimed that he was the best footballer in the squad, a comment that baffled many supporters at the time. Slowly but surely Drummond began repaying his managers faith in him and blossomed into one of the best players at Morecambe Football Club, as his manager had predicted.

His excellent performances in the centre of midfield saw him pick up the supporters player of the year for 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 as well as players player of the year in 1999/2000. His success for Morecambe earned him recognition at international level and he is now a regular in the England National Game XI. Drummond was also named in the 2002/2003 Conference team of the year after captaining Morecambe to their highest ever league finish.

Stewart was seen as the best centre midfielder in the whole of non league football by Morecambe fans and not many supporters of opposing clubs would disagree with them. It's was a surprise to most fans of the Shrimps that Stewart Drummond never made the step into league football earlier than he did, especially when you took into account the number of years that he had been a consistent high performer at Conference level.

The Football League's loss was Morecambe's gain and Drummond saw all the good times in Morecambe's recent history. The FA Cup games at Oxford, Brentford and Chesterfield along with the two games against Ipswich Town in 2001 and 2003 and the semi final appearances in the FA Trophy in 2002 and Nationwide Conference Playoffs one year later.

After a disapointing campaign in the 2003/2004 season that saw Morecambe finish 7th in the Conference he finally made the move into league football with Mark Wright's Chester City, who had won the Conference that season, turning down a new contract at Christie Park.

Stewart returned to Morecambe in January 2008 for a fee of £15,000.

Speaking about the move vice-chairman Graham Hodgson said: “Stewart was an important player for us when we established ourselves as a leading Conference side and was always a big favourite with the fans.

“He got the chance to be a Football League player which he deserved and now we are in the League ourselves it is great that he can be part of our success at Christie Park again. We have all followed his career closely and he has been a popular player with Chester and Shrewsbury and we are sure that with his extensive experience in League 2 he will be a valuable asset to us again.’’

Boss Sammy McIlroy said he was a long time admirer of Drummond.

He said: "Stewart is a player I know well and respect.

"He is a very experienced player at League 2 level and will be a great addition to the squad. He is a box to box player and is a presence in both penalty areas.

"We are looking to have a blend of experience and youth as we seek to establish ourselves in the league and I am delighted to have signed him.''

Drummond, who was club captain at Shrewsbury, said he was excited about the move.

He said: "It is a great move for me.

"I still live locally and have a young family and it is wonderful to be able to come back to a Morecambe side playing in the Football League.''