club's plans to sign the defender were halted. Stuart eventually joined Bury in October 2001 on a short-term contract, which was later extended to a two-and-a-half-year deal in February 2002. He made his debut for the club in the 1–0 away win at Hartlepool United in the Football League Trophy on 16 October 2001. He was sent-off in his third game for Bury in the 5–1 defeat to Brentford. Stuart scored his only goal for Bury on 22 December 2001, in the 1–1 draw at home to Blackpool. Bury went 1–0 down in the first-half, before Stuart equalised in the 53rd minute, with a shot that went in off the post. During his 18-month spell with Bury, Stuart was a first-team regular, making 61 appearances in the Third Division, scoring once. Bury finished seventh in the league during the 2002–03 season, qualifying for the play-offs. He also gained a total of four red cards and four yellows in the 18-months he was with Bury, including a red card in the 2002–03 play-off semi-final first leg against AFC Bournemouth. Stuart was allegedly elbowed in the face by Wade Elliott, which resulted in his nose being broken and Stuart reacting by grabbing Elliott's shirt. Referee, Jeff Winter, adjudged Stuart had thrown a punch, whilst Andy Preece criticised Stuart for raising his arms to another player, defended him saying "I can't see why he thinks Jamie has punched him in the face...the explanation from the ref doesn't add up with what you see on the video." Southend United In June 2003, Stuart then joined fellow Third Division side Southend United for the upcoming 2003–04 season, saying he wanted to move nearer his family in London. He made his debut in the 3–0 home defeat against Mansfield Town in League Two on 23 August 2003. He was released from Southend United in May 2004 at the end of the season by manager Steve Tilson, having made 26 appearances in the Third Division for Southend United, collecting five yellow cards and failing to score. Non-League career Hornchurch & Grays Athletic Stuart dropped down into non-League football with now defunct Hornchurch of the Conference South. He made fourteen appearances in the Conference South and seventeen in all competitions for Hornchurch, before a financial crisis at the club in November 2004 forced a number of players, including Stuart, to leave. He joined Grays Athletic, alongside Steve West