Stevenson signed for Scottish club Troon FC just two weeks ago when he was hit with a bizarre bout of wanderlust.

After playing just one game for the West of Scotland Super League Premier Division side, the 32-year-old switched his focus to the other side of the world. 

Strikers coach Craig Lewis told the Mornington Peninsula News that the attacking midfielder was easily sold on the idea of heading Down Under.

“I was talking to a former teammate a few weeks back and Ryan’s name cropped up so I decided to contact him through facebook and he responded straight away so we’ve been on the phone almost every day since,” Lewis said.

“He was really keen from the outset and told me that he’s got a mate who came over a couple of years back and told him that it was the best move he’d ever made and that he should get over here the first chance he got.”

Stevenson enjoyed spells at St Johnstone, Ayr United, Hearts, Ipswich, Partick Thistle and Dumbarton.

In January, he joined Raith Rovers and made headlines when he was forced to play an entire game between the sticks when the three first team goalkeepers were injured. Rovers lost 1-0 to his former team Ayr United and Stevenson retired a week later. 

That was six weeks ago and life has moved on pretty quickly for the Scot and, it has to be said, the Strikers.

Stevenson in action for Partick Thistle in 2015

An influx of visa players to the league has caught the attention of local media and football watchers, but none come close to the pedigree of Stevenson.

His arrival this week - all going well with visa approvals - will provide a welcome lift for the Centenary Park outfit after starting the season with three straight losses, including a 6-3 away defeat to Doncaster Rovers on Friday night.

But with a handful of new arrivals, and the signing coup of the State 2 South-East league on their books, Lewis is feeling they can turn things around.

“We know what we want to achieve this season and we’ve got off to a terrible start and need to strengthen,” he said.

“We want to turn our season around and I’m confident that we can.”