Steven McGarry’s Australian adventure has moved into an exciting fresh chapter after he was appointed the new Head Coach of Sorrento FC.

The 43-year-old Football Careers client starred in Scottish football for St Mirren, Motherwell, and Ross County before opting to take the plunge Down Under with A-League giants Perth Glory back in 2010.

Steven, a current UEFA Pro Licence candidate, takes charge of the Western Australia National Premier League side after impressing the board with his vision for the future of the club.

The big kick-off in the league is looming and McGarry, who went on to become Assistant Coach at Glory after starring there as a player, said:

“Do I feel pressure? Not at all. I embrace the pressure. I think the biggest challenge for me is that the transfer window has closed so I can’t add to the squad.

“But I think we have a good foundation of a squad here, so I am going to come in and try and improve every player.”

Sorrento FC, who celebrated 50 years as a club last year, are four-time NPL champions. They will kick off their new campaign away to Bayswater City on 17th March.

Steven’s new club finished in the top four of their state’s premier football competition last season but were edged out by eventual champions Perth RedStar.

After retiring from the elite level in Oz as a player, McGarry enjoyed passing his experience on down the ranks and played for RedStar, who Sorrento will face in an eagerly-awaited derby game on 1st April. Steven stressed as his new role was unveiled:

“I think realistically we understand there’s a bit of work to do with this squad. I think the club is ambitious and that’s why I am here.

“Obviously the rivalry between RedStar and Sorrento will be like a northern derby, so that’s going to be interesting. I still have some good friends up there.

“I’d love to play but I think getting towards 44, that’s really difficult now. If you ask any ex-footballer they’ll say they miss that competitiveness every day. But listen: I’ll get that competitiveness on the side of the pitch.”

McGarry exploded onto the scene as a teenage striker with St Mirren and scored for Scotland Under-21s in the prestigious Toulon Tournament at the age of just 17. He would go on to be a favourite at Saints, Well and County but had always nurtured a yearning to travel and test himself in a new country. Steven admitted:

“I played a long time in Scotland and I always fancied something different. Initially we looked at the USA but my agent had a contact in Perth, and so we managed to agree a deal.

“It was -1 when I left Scotland and then it was 42 degrees when I landed in Perth, so it was a massive swing in temperature and a massive change in lifestyle.”

McGarry, though, would sparkle in the A-League, and he profited from stepping back into midfield later in his career. A decade ago he was crowned Australia’s Most Glorious Player, voted Players’ Player of the year, and was the winner of the Goal of the Year award.

He brings an established pedigree to Sorrento FC and he also knows the division he is working in inside out after four years at Perth RedStar as a player, player-coach, and Technical Director.

Fans of Steven’s former Scottish clubs will follow his fortunes as gaffer at Sorrento FC, none more closely than those at St Mirren where he was a hometown hero.

In March 2018, McGarry was one of four former Buddies stars to have a street named in their honour! When Saints’ old ground Love Street was being developed for affordable housing, a public competition was run to have the new streets named after favourite players. Steven was honoured and there is now a McGarry Terrace in his hometown of Paisley.

They might not be doing that in Duncraig where his new club is based, but there promises to be exciting times in the season to come. Sorrento President Nico Hoyle knows Steven’s capture is a coup and he said:

“Someone of his calibre, of his experience, and what he can bring to our football club to the younger lads is going to be massive. As a football club, we have got to aim high and that’s exactly what we’ve done here.”