Mariners boss Graham Arnold believes Sutton has already settled into his new surrounds well, and is ready to contribute to the collective in the important Round 22 meeting.

“John will start,” Arnold said. “We bought him out from Scotland for a reason and that’s to play.

“He’s looked very good in training, he’s fitted into the group extremely well. It’s just a matter of him now learning how we play and the players around him learning how he plays.

"He’s a hardened pro and we’re very excited to have him here.”

Sutton had a final workout with his new team-mates at the Mariners final training session today before the crunch tie with Ricki Herbert’s Phoenix team.

And Sutton said that while the Australian summer is a distinct difference from the Scottish winter, he feels he is ready to go.

“The training’s been really good,” Sutton said. “Obviously there is a bit of an adaptation in terms of the temperature but I think I’ve certainly gotten used to it now, there’s no jetlag so I’m ready to get going tomorrow.”

Sutton added that his new teammates had impressed him in his first full week of training, and that coach Arnold had underlined the importance of him working hard within the group.

“Training with the boys, we’ve got a lot of good players here,” he said. “He’s just asked me to come in and complement the boys who have done so well.

“Obviously we’ve got a very hard working team with a lot of good players, so it’s important that I’m just part of the team and try and help other players get the best out of themselves. And likewise hopefully they can provide me with good service.

“Hopefully come tomorrow we’re going to get a good result and get back on track in terms of results because I think the performances have been very good so far.”