Gordon left Hamilton Academical and joined the Mariners in June.

The defender has signed for a one-year deal but having landed in Terrigal, is soaking up the lifestyle down under.

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” he told FTBL. “I remember saying to my partner after the second day, I don’t know if we’ll ever return home. You’ve got everything here.

“The football’s a good level, it’s a higher level I gave it credit for possibly before I came out here, but that’s just due to the media in the UK.

“We don’t get a lot of A-League over there, so a lot of us are blinded by the fact we don’t see much of what happens over here. But the level’s very high, very good players, a lot of technical football and second to none lifestyle.

“It’s blue sky and sunny every day almost, it’s a far cry from what I’m used to back in Scotland, however much I love the place.”

The 26-year-old has spent of his career in his native Scotland, apart from a season playing in Poland.

Gordon said he was sold on joining the Mariners after speaking with coach Alen Stajcic.

“I think Australia gives you so much experience, just to broaden your horizons. It’s a big world out there, out of the UK, and sometimes we forget that,” he said.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to build a new life for myself and my family, and obviously the football aspects were sold to me by a number of people in football who know what they’re talking about.

“I jumped at the chance after a few conversations with the coach, when he told me what he was building here, with the ethos he was trying to bring to the club and what he saw me in that ethos, I felt like it was somewhere I’d be valued.

“Somewhere I could do lay down some roots and become successful – because that’s all we want to do being a football player, play at a top level club with aspirations bigger than ourselves.”

The Mariners, who kick off the new A-League season on Saturday against Western Sydney, have gone through several tough campaigns in the past few years.

Victories have been rare at the Central Coast and wooden spoons have been plentiful.

But Gordon believes good times could be on the way again at Gosford.

“I’ve not been able to experience the troubles the Mariners have in the last couple of years, and I’m glad I wasn’t here to experience it,” he admitted.

“Because it gives me a fresh outlook on things and so far it’s only been positive. We’re only looking in one direction and that’s forward.”