Wellington Phoenix confirmed Scott Wootton and Sam Sutton will leave the Isuzu UTE A-League team.
The Phoenix duo will play their final matches for Wellington when the ‘Nix face Brisbane Roar in Wednesday night’s Australia Cup play-off.
Former Manchester United defender Wootton and academy graduate Sutton will depart having played a key role in Wellington’s historic 2023-24 season, which saw the Phoenix narrowly miss out on the Premiership and a maiden Grand Final berth.
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“Both Sutts and Scotty have left a lasting legacy,” said Phoenix director of football Shaun Gill.
“Sutts has quite literally grown up at the Phoenix, having joined the academy as a 14-year-old in 2016.
“He made his first-team debut days after his 18th birthday and has gone on to make more than 100 appearances for the Nix in all competitions over the past five seasons, the first two of which were while the team was based in Australia.
“Scotty joined the club at the start of 2022 and has been a mainstay at the heart of the Phoenix defence for 100 matches since.
“He played every minute of the team’s memorable 2023-24 A-League campaign and was deservingly named in the PFA team of the year.
“Scotty has also starting his coaching apprenticeship at the academy.”
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New Zealand international Sutton has amassed over 100 appearances for the Phoenix and he said: “The club’s been a big part of my life, and it’s meant everything to me.
“The Phoenix is my home. I’ve been here for the best part of 10 years and not winning any silverware is pretty heart-breaking for me.
“The fans have been immense since I arrived at the club, and it’s been an honour to play for them. Hopefully I’ll be back one day to win some silverware for them.”
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Englishman Wootton, who arrived in 2022 having also played for the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, added: “I can honestly say I’ve absolutely loved my time here/
“I’ve made some lifelong friends and It’s been great for me and my family. I’ll forever be grateful to Gilly (Shaun Gill), Uffy (Ufuk Talay) and Chiefy (Giancarlo Italiano) for putting the faith in me and signing me.
“I’ve loved playing under Uffy and Chief. Both of them are two very good managers. I wish Chiefy nothing but success moving forward with the team.
“A special mention to Adam Griffiths too. He’s an amazing coach and he’s played a big part in my development at this stage of my career.
“I also want to thank the staff at the academy for giving me my first taste of coaching. They were all fantastic for me and it’s something that I now know I want to do in the future.
“And a big thank you to the fans for the great support they’ve given me and my family.”
