After days of damning headlines questioning the future viability of the Premiership winning outfit major investor Englishman Mike Charlesworth has agreed to substantially increase his stake in the club.

The recapitalisation plan sees Western Sydney Wanders executive chairman and former A-League boss Lyall Gorman sever his official ties with the Gosford franchise.

News of the deal comes as Professional Footballers Australia threw their support behind the playing group and kept open the possibility of strike action.

A statement from the PFA said players were under “enormous financial pressure and hardship” caused by unpaid wages. In some cases players have been unable to pay for basic necessities such as weekly groceries.

PFA Chairman John Poulakakis today issued an impassioned plea for the Mariners to get the outstanding money back in the pockets of players ASAP.

“The players have suffered enough,” Poulakakis said. “Once again they are being forced to subsidize poor governance and management of the game.

“The players’ basic entitlements have been trampled on. Whatever is creating this delay must be addressed immediately.

“It’s time for certainty and the FFA and the club’s Directors to do the right thing by the players and the fans.”

The Mariners’ latest fiscal dramas come just two rounds out from the end of the regular season as the club continues to fight for silverware on several fronts.

Graham Arnold’s men are clinging to the slim hope of back-to-back premierships, with the opportunity to pick up their first championship trophy while fighting a tough Asian Champions League campaign.

The club has courted numerous investors in the past - a Russian consortium was said to be interested and more recently Chinese businessmen. Fallen Scottish giants Rangers have expressed interest in establishing a partnership.

Discussions involving Charlesworth, Chairman Peter Turnbull and Gorman concluded late today with agreement in principal and documentation underway.

In a statement the club said: “The injection of funds will allow the immediate payment of players, coaches and staff.

“In addition, the funds will allow the Mariners to implement business plans to continue the growth of the club

“The agreement will see Mike Charlesworth, an existing major investor, make a substantial fresh investment into the Mariners.”

Turnbull has welcomed the agreement and thanked his fellow investors for working towards a sustainable future.

“Mike, Lyall and I have always placed top priority on the good of the Mariners and Central Coast football,” Turnbull said.

“The club is an integral part of the Central Coast region and we are determined to build a strong and stable club.

“In particular, I pay tribute to Lyall for his achievements in establishing the club. This agreement will see Lyall sever his formal ties with the Mariners, but he’ll always have a special place in the club.”

Turnbull has hailed the new investment by Mike Charlesworth as a turning point.

“Mike is a football man, like the rest of us, and he has a great passion for the game and the Mariners. Today’s agreement means the Mariners legacy will only get stronger.”

The PFA left no doubt they want to see an end to the strife surrounding the club’s ownership which was destabilising for the players.

According to the union the squad had expressed frustration and disappointment.

“Despite been assured on a number of occasions that payment of their salaries would be imminent, these promises have failed to materialise placing the players under enormous financial pressure and hardship,” the PFA said.

“The players have acted in good faith however there is a limit to their goodwill. The players have agreed not to take any industrial action at this time but the PFA does not rule out this possibility in the coming weeks.

President Simon Colosimo added: “Once again this matter shows the precarious nature of being a professional footballer in Australia and ironically comes at a time when the PFA is seeking to negotiate greater contract security with FFA as part of our new CBA”.

Meanwhile a source close to the younger playing group said he understood they remained focused on their football.

“They’ve still got plenty of belief that they can win the league and go well in the Champions League. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong from a morale perspective.”