Sutton, 28, joins the A-League front-runners following successful stints with Hearts, Motherwell and St. Mirren in the Scottish Premier League (SPL).

Born in Norwich, England, Sutton spent part of his youth career with London powerhouse Tottenham Hotspur, before steadily making a name for himself in the English and Scottish lower leagues.

Over the course of his career, he average a goal every three games or so - even including a desperate barren patch at Wycombe Wanderers where he played 45 times for just six goals in return.

The powerful attackers’ career took off when he joined St. Mirren in 2005, scoring 25 goals in 64 games for ‘The Saints’.

The spell with Wycombe in England followed before the marksman joined Motherwell during the 2008/09 SPL season. It was with the men from Fir Park that Sutton enjoyed the best spell of his career, bulging the back of the net 31 times in 98 matches.

Sutton joined Hearts from Motherwell at the beginning of the 2011/12 term, and has netted twice in five SPL appearances for ‘The Jambos’ this campaign.

Sutton - expected to arrive in Australia mid next week - was recommended to Mariners coach Graham Arnold by Craig Moore, with the former Socceroos mentor eager to add further depth to his striking stocks following the loss of Matt Simon to Korea last month.

Scottish sources say Sutton is a very different player from Simon though.

"He won't run and chase and hassle like Simon," said one former SPL player. "But he is an excellent goalscorer and very, very strong.

"If they supply crosses into the box, he will do very well. But is that the Mariners style of play?"

The Mariners lured the striker away from cash-strapped Hearts despite offers from rival SPL clubs like St Mirren and Hibs.

The prospect of a double title tilt with the Mariners plus an Asian Champions League campaign proved irresistible to the younger brother of Celtic veteran Chris Sutton.

"The exposure of giving him the opportunity to play in the A-League and also the ACL was very appealing to him," Arnold said.

"He comes with a very good pedigree in Scotland and he is a similar player to Matty Simon, someone that can make us play different if we need to play different.

"He comes out with a record of a goal every two-and-a-half to three games in Scotland and we're looking forward to John coming out and adding not only another set of legs but quite a deal of experience for our front line."

Central Coast Mariners Chairman Peter Turnbull today officially welcomed Sutton to the club and said that his experience would be felt both on and off the pitch.

“In an official capacity I’d like to welcome John Sutton to the Central Coast Mariners,” Turnbull said. “We are very much looking forward to him arriving next week, and can’t wait to see him wearing the Yellow and Navy soon.

“Having played at some of the higher levels in British football, we expect John Sutton will be able to provide some great insights to our younger players who are looking to take their careers to Europe some day.”

Sutton is expected to arrive in Australia mid next week, however is unlikely to be available for Friday’s meeting with Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.