Porter has spent the last five years with the English third tier club but has decided to embrace a new challenge with the A-League new boys.

Pools boss Chris Turner said last week that he felt the player was selling himself short, a view that has infuriated Gold Coast boss Miron Bleiberg.

However, Porter has no regrets at all and although he said there were rumours of interest from English football's second tier, nothing materialised.

He told the Peterlee Mail: "There was a few whispers that a few Championship sides were coming to watch but I haven't heard anything. I don't have an agent or anything like that who can keep in touch with those sort of things.

"I was pretty ecstatic when I got the news that an Australian side was looking to get me back home. Once I got that in my mind there was pretty much only one thing I was going to do."

There is no doubt that off-the-field factors also appealed to Porter in deciding to make the move.

"It's a great area to live and it will be good not just for me but for my family. It makes it easier for the grandparents to see grandkids and so forth," he said.

Porter is expected to form an attacking partnership with fellow new recruit Shane Smeltz next season.