The Central Coast Mariners midifelder is in a rich vein of personal form, notching three stunning strikes over the past two matches.

But it hasn't been enough to prevent his Gosford side from slumping to back-to-back defeats, ruining any precious momentum gained by their win over Melbourne City.

"Every week we seem to get the lead and can't hold on, it's a mental thing for the team," Hoole said.

"In certain situations, when you're 2-0 up, you want somebody to provide a stable head and keep you calm under pressure."

Hoole's hoping that new signing Jem Karacan, a London-born, former Turkish youth international will be that player.

The 29-year-old's pedigree includes two years with Galatasaray in addition to nearly 200 appearances with Reading across the Premier League and English Championship.

Among a host of other English clubs, the defensive midfielder also cites Reading's impressive 2011 Championship-winning campaign among his acheievements. But at 29-years-old, Hoole is hoping Karacan still has a lot to offer.

"You can see he's a good player - he's been at Galatasay, Reading - these are big clubs," Hoole continued.

"He's fitting in really nicely, he's a really nice guy. He brings leadership, confidence on the ball, experience.

"He'll provide all that and we're really looking forward to having him on the park."

On a personal note, the Mariner is hoping his own performances continue to improve as well.

The midfielder is out of contract at season's end and, judging by the tone of his voice, isn't set on an extension at the Mariners quite yet.

"It was really nice to get a couple of goals, free kicks as well," he said. "They're the ones you remember.

"It's a tremendous feeling – to score two normal goals in a game are great, but free kicks are different. I wouldn't call it a specialty, there are a lot that go wide and over the bar.

"Every game is different, we need to be good in the front third and provide service to Matty Simon, if he gets good balls, he can score. 

"I haven't thought about [his contract] at all, it's in a bit of a dark alley at the moment. I wouldn't mind staying again, we just need to sit down and have a talk, and figure that out."