Phoenix need to make their home patch a fortress again.

While the loss to Melbourne Victory at the Ring of Fire on Sunday isn't cause for widespread panic (particularly given the way Phoenix dominated the first half) it's absolutely crucial they get back to winning ways against Central Coast Mariners on Friday night.

Phoenix's excellent home record has been the base upon which their back-to-back playoff appearances has been based. Before Sunday they were unbeaten in nine matches at home and their overall record is up there with the very best - 27 wins, 16 draws and just ten losses on home soil. For nearly two years from November 2008 to October 2010, Phoenix were unbeaten in Wellington.

Their home form is doubly important when you consider how hard it's been to pick up wins - or even points - on the road. They've won just ten of their 54 matches away from home.

It's a quite dreadful record which everyone seems at a loss to explain, let alone rectify. This season the players have even declined airline food as they search for anything which might help them pick up points away from home.

Yes, international travel is difficult (and not just because of the food), but at the end of the day, football is played inside white lines on a patch of grass. It's a complete mystery why this side performs so badly when they cross the Tasman.

Having said that, it also works in reverse. Visiting teams hate coming here. The home crowd is raucous, the weather's not always that great and anyone turning up in Wellington knows they're in for a battle.

The fact Victory managed to escape with all three points after seven goal-less hours of A-League football was galling for home fans. I bet Mehmet Durakovic couldn't believe his luck after Phoenix let his side off the hook with poor first-half finishing on Sunday.

Worryingly, the Mariners won't come to Wellington with the fears they used to. For a long time, Phoenix were their bogey team - they couldn't even score a goal in seven consecutive clashes stretching back to September 2008.

However, they burst the dam last season with Josh Rose scoring twice in a comprehensive 3-0 win. They'll also have taken confidence from their victory over Perth, following a fairly ordinary start to their A-League campaign.

Season-defining matches don't normally come five games in, but this is a very important fixture for Phoenix.

Back to back losses at home just wouldn't do at all.