I say hugely important, because the fate of the league's smallest club is just as critical as that of the heavyweights. Why? Because you're only as strong as your weakest link.

Indeed it may be more important the Mariners flourish than, say, Melbourne Victory. Why? Because if and when the A-League eventually expands, it's Mariners-sized clubs which will fill the queue. So unless the Mariners get their model right – and Football Federation Australia and the other clubs understand the necessity of that – where's the hope in expansion?

It wasn't always thus, of course. In the first half of the A-League story, the Mariners were arguably the greatest success. It's only since Englishman Mike Charlesworth took over four years ago that the "little club that could" has slid dangerously close to the abyss. A few months later, the Mariners celebrated their first and only championship. Maybe Charlesworth thought it was all too easy. It never is.

Whatever the case, Charlesworth spent the next three years chasing rainbows – most fruitless was the ill-judged attempt to shift to North Sydney. Charlesworth's oft-stated view that his club couldn't become sustainable at Gosford was not only dubious, but ignored the blindingly obvious. There was nowhere else. Take the Central Coast out of the Mariners, and the club will simply cease to exist.

Thankfully, happily, it seems that penny has started to drop. The last six months have been much more encouraging. After the utter humiliation of last season's wooden spoon (some wooden spoons are worse than others, and this one was horrendous), Paul Okon's team is regaining some pride. It's been a bumpy ride.

Off the field, chief executive Shaun Mielekamp is also making real progress, although the locals are still hedging their bets. A former Socceroo, and avowed Coastie, told me recently he'd been to only one game this season because "I'm still not convinced he [Charlesworth] wants the team here". That self- inflicted wound remains the biggest hurdle to overcome.

Ahead of Sunday night's match against Melbourne Victory, crowds were averaging just 7,763 – a drop of 20 per cent from the championship season, and a whopping 30 per cent from the heady heights of 2008.

That's what happens when you treat your own with disdain. The message to Charlesworth is loud and clear. Prove to us you want us, and we'll be back.

And so we come to this. The fork in the road. Having finally rebuilt some trust, and some hope, which way does Charlesworth go?

Strangely enough, there'll be an easy way to figure that out. If Roy O'Donovan re-signs, you know the club is heading back in the right direction. If he doesn't, take a deep breath and pray.

O'Donovan loves the area. When he had to attend the season launch in Melbourne, he was pondering how to get to Sydney airport to catch a flight when a supporter jumped in and said: "I'll give you a lift".

From Terrigal, that's about 100 kilometres. At short notice. "That's what I love about the place, the people are great," O'Donovan said.

But business is business, and the Irishman is a seasoned pro. O'Donovan wants to stay, but he's made it clear Charlesworth needs to show he means business too.

Re-signing youngsters such as Liam Rose and Storm Roux is a positive, but O'Donovan wants to know that more experience and quality is coming to the dressing room. Being a club which develops players and sells them – no club has made more money from transfer fees than the Mariners – is fair enough. But being a club which isn't interested in being competitive is not. O'Donovan's decision will be a signpost. It will reveal how much ambition there really is.

Therein lies the challenge for Charlesworth. Whichever way the power struggle between the owners and the FFA falls, the demands of being part of the new world order will increase. If Charlesworth believes he'll be cushioned by some form of benevolence, he's kidding himself. It's going to be every man for himself.

If he can't afford to keep up, the worst possible scenario looms large. Charlesworth loses the license, no one buys it, and the FFA refuse to step in and save the Mariners. There are plenty at head office who've been waiting for the chance to kill off the club.

The test for Charlesworth isn't simply about money. It's as much an operational one. To rebuild the bridge to the fans, to keep O'Donovan, to resource Okon, to do the small things better than everyone else. That's what the Mariners used to be about. That's what they can be again. Forget Canberra. Forget North Sydney. Forget Dubbo. The answer is right there in the backyard.