THIS YEAR is the 21st anniversary of Sorrento coming of age in WA football. And they did it in sensational style, ending their first-class senior title drought with a hat-trick of trophies.
They won the Division Three crown in 1984 and were Divison Two champions in 1987, gaining entry to the newly-formed Super League.
But the good times for the Seagulls really began in April, 1999, with a breakthrough triumph in the Inter Security Systems Night Series, beating Floreat Athena 2-1 in the final with two second-half goals from veteran striker Trevor Morgan (who also coached the club at various times). Troy Bernard got Athena's goal.
Their fairy-tale continued in September when they beat Bayswater City Panthers 2-0 in the final of the West Ham League Cup thanks to goals from Kevin Murphy and Simon Harland.
And it was triple joy in October with a stunning 5-1 triumph over Western Knights in the grand final of the National Homes Top Five Cup.
Ross Greer's two first-half goals, both from the penalty spot, put the Seagulls on their way to victory after John Nicolaou had given the Knights an early lead.
The Knights suffered a major blow when captain Alex Cummings was sent off early in the second half for a second bookable offence - and they were down to only nine men when Ray Marinovic also saw red in the 73rd minute, at which stage Sorrento were already 3-1 ahead following a third goal from Simon Harland.
Stuart Banks and Glen Thomas completed the scoring to cap an amazing season for Sorrento, who had also finished runners-up to ECU Joondalup in the State League championship.
Meanwhile, the club recently revealed their All-Stars team, which includes some high-profile performers who turned out at various times in the near 50 year existence of the Seagulls.
Several senior, under-23 and under-19 Australian internationals have made Sorrento's starry line-up, along with players who also enjoyed success at national league level with Perth Glory.
Amongst them are Shaun Murphy, Scott Miller, Tony Carbone, Brad Hassell, Jamie Harnwell and John Coyne, who played in England, Ireland and the United States before coming to Australia and making nine appearances for the Socceroos when based in Sydney and then joining Sorrento in the late 1980s.
But the biggest overseas name to have made the All-Stars X1 is former Liverpool and Swansea defender Colin Irwin, who was player-coach with the club in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Irwin was only 20 when he won a European Cup medal with Liverpool in 1978. He was part of the squad but never got on the pitch in the 1-0 win over Club Brugge. He was a regular in the 1980-81 season when the Reds again won the European Cup (Irwin was again in the final squad in the 1-0 win over Real Madrid) and the League Cup. He started in the League Cup final against West Ham at Wembley, which ended in a 1-1 draw. In the 2-1 replay win he was a sub. His team-mates in those days included Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Ian Rush, Steve Heighway, Ray Clemence and Jimmy Case.
Another Englishman, Matty Sparrow, is one of the wing-backs in the strar-studded Seagulls side. He had a spell with Sorrento in 2016 following a lengthy career in England with Scunthorpe United and Brighton and Hove Albion.
The out-and-out strikers chosen are Grant Holt, who had a loan spell at Percy Doyle Reserve in 2001 before going on to much acclaim with the likes of Aston Villa and Norwich, and Steve Neville, who had an extensive career in England before coming to WA. He was the coach when Sorrento enjoyed their most successful season in WA football in 1999. The club is now calling on its supporters to name contenders for the Ultimate Team, which will honour players for: Club longevity; Club honours won; Individual honours; Character and impact on the club as a whole.  
Meanwhile the All-Stars Sorrento side is:
Neil Young;
Colin Irwin, Shaun Murphy, Jamie Harnwell;
Scott Miller, Matty Sparrow;
Tony Carbone, John Coyne, Brad Hassell;
Grant Holt, Steve Neville.

Pic One: Sorrento's grand final celebrations on WA's 2000 Yearbook cover. Pic Two: Stuart Banks in action in the Top Five Grand Final. Pic Three: Trevor Morgan, scoring hero in the club's breakthrough Night Series victory. Pic Four: Colin Irwin. Pic Five: Sorrento's All-Star X1.