Heskey lands to a warm welcome

In addition to the contingent of excited Jets fans and media, club CEO Robbie Middleby and Heskey's good friend Michael Bridges were on hand to greet the ex-England forward.

"It was a bit of a long flight, but I'm finally here and I'm raring to go," Heskey, who travelled with his partner and two kids, said.

"I've heard a lot about my team-mates… Bridgey has told me quite a bit about the league and the team.

"I spoke to Robbie Fowler and he's told me a lot about the league and everything as well.

"I'm just raring to go really. I'm looking forward to meeting the lads, having a bit of a training run with them and seeing how things go."

Heskey, who has signed a one-year deal, is in good shape and is hoping to be included for Newcastle's A-League opener against Adelaide United at Hunter Stadium on Sunday 7 October.

"Training on your own is different to actually having match fitness. In the UK I’ve only had 45 minutes in a training game, so I'll need some games, but I'll soon get that fitness," he said.

“We'll have to see how training goes because I heard it's a bit hot out here. It's different to Manchester where it's raining everyday. I should be OK, fingers crossed."

With Alessandro Del Piero fever capturing Sydney FC and the A-League, and Western Sydney Wanderers' interest in Michael Ballack and Shinji Ono, Heskey's arrival is another major boost for the game in Australia.

He meets his Jets team-mates and first training session this afternoon and he is eager to make a big impression on the field.

"I'll just take it game by game and see how it goes. I want to do really well and hit the ground running," he said.

"I've always looked at silverware. Wherever I've gone I've tried to win silverware. It's something I came into the game at a young age wanting to do, so why not (in Newcastle)."