After the Mariners finished the 2015-16 season on the bottom of the A-League ladder with 13 points - the lowest tally in the club’s history- the Gosford side currently sit in eighth place.

Compared to their previous campaign, Central Coast have won more games, scored a higher number goals and improved their goal difference due to playing with a greater discipline in defence.

O'Donovan scored 11 goals this season, up from eight in the previous year and the Irish import said Okon’s playing philosophy has allowed him to prosper in front of goal. 

“It’s a real continental, possession style of football under Paolo,” he said.

“That suits me as a player and gives me the opportunity to be number nine and to concentrate on scoring goals and to be the figure head of the team at the pointy end of things.

“There’s definitely been some match ups where I have been playing really well and put in a good level of performance.

“At times I’ve been decent, but I have also been similar to how the team has gone and we should have won more games and I would have liked to have more goals.

“But there’s a lot more to come from me. I’m always improving and I always want to be improving and that won’t change. “

A win or a draw against Melbourne Victory tonight will give Central Coast an oppurtunity to better 23 points - which will make it their highest points tally in three seasons.

And O’Donovan put the Mariners revival down to Okon’s influence.

“It’s a big factor, he said.

“He’s given the football club and the football team a redirection this year. For me as a senior player, it’s been terrific.

“It’s something that I have bought into and believe. There have been time this season where we have left results or points behind us. 

“We’ve thrown a few games away and we’ve shot ourselves in the foot at times but Paolo is a big part of why we have kicked on."

At one stage the Mariners were pushing for the finals after winning three consecutive games.

O’Donovan said that period was a glimpse of the Gosford side’s potential.

“That’s exactly it, that was a snap shot of how good Central Coast Mariners can be,” he said.

“We took our chances when they came along in those games and we defended resolutely as a team

“Since the turn of the year we’ve had a pretty stern defence which was letting us down in the previous couple of seasons on the Central Coast.

“We conceded less goals and we’ve always been capable of scoring goals because we have such pace in wide areas and we have players that can play around the box.

 “There’s has just been this little bit of naivety that we needed to shake from our game. That’s kind of indicative of Central Coast Mariners really.

“The ability is definitely there and we’ve been coached in the right way.”