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Montgomery was the heart and soul of the Blades for 12 years but said it was the lure of Asian Champions League football, the passion of the Aussie club and some sage words from his dad that finally clinched the deal.

Nursing a bad case of jetlag after a marathon flight from the UK with his 17-month-old twins in tow, the 30-year-old midfielder said he was keen to launch the next phase of his football career.

And he won’t have long to wait with the Mariners planning to give him his first run on Sunday in their pre-season clash against last year’s champs Brisbane Roar on the Sunshine Coast.

“I arrived in Sydney this morning and there was not a cloud in the sky,” Montgomery said from the Mariner’s Centre of Excellence at Tuggerah.

“And being at the training ground now, I can see it’s a fantastic little set up.

“I’ve just met a few of the lads and I’m looking forward to getting to know them better over the next couple of weeks.

“I was at Sheffield United for many years and, maybe apart from the last two seasons, I’ve never regretted any of it.

“But I wanted a fresh start and I don’t think you can get any fresher than moving across the other side of the world.

“(Coach Graham Arnold) has a fantastic reputation and I spoke to him on the phone as well as Lawrie McKinna and Peter Turnbull the chairman.

“The positive vibes I got from them and the hunger - everything about it told me this was the right thing for me.

“I had offers from the Championship in England and offers from abroad as well but I think once me and my wife had decided on Australia, it was just a case of finalising the deal.”

Arnie and the club management might have got the Leeds-born footballer over the line but Mariners fans will have his dad, Terry, to thank for sowing the seed.

“I’ve never been to Australia before but my dad did lived here when he was younger for a couple of years and he just raved about the country,” he said.

“And when the opportunity came up I spoke to him and a few other people who had been to Australia and they were just so positive about the whole thing.”

Montgomery hasn’t played a competitive match since May but has put in a full pre-season with the League 1 outfit and says he’s fit and ready to play.

And while the decision to leave Sheffield was his, it was a mutual, if sad, parting of the ways - and he received a standing ovation from fans when he left the Blades.

“Obviously for financial reasons and all the new rules and regulations that have come in management felt they had to offload a few players from the wage bill,” he said.

“I didn’t have to leave but it was my decision to leave.

“Sheffield United are a massive club and I’ve played in the Premier League with them and most of my career in the Championship which is a fantastic league in England.

“Every time I signed a new contract, I never regretted it. I’m pretty proud of the fact that I stayed loyal to the one club for so long because it is rare nowadays.

“Now I’m looking forward to putting that experience and enthusiasm to work for the Mariners.

“I don’t like losing. I’ve been quite successful and experienced a lot of big games and also played in the Premier League.

“I’m looking forward to working with the younger players and passing on some of that experience to them.”

Montgomery said he isn’t looking too far into the future but is certain of one thing, all going well, this won’t be his last contract.

“I have a three year contract with the Mariners and then hopefully after that I’ll have another three or four years left in me,” he said.

“Who knows what the future holds.”

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