Daniel McBreen says Perth Glory match on New Year's Eve could shape Mariners' season Daniel McBreen of the Mariners in action during round 11. MARINERS striker Daniel McBreen admits his side's last game of 2013 could hold the key to their fortunes in the new year, as the champions bid to halt a run of form that has seen them concede six goals and win just once in the past three games. Central Coast host Perth on Tuesday night in the now-traditional New Year's Eve celebration at Bluetongue stadium, knowing a win would take them fourth and within striking distance of second place. But defeat would jemmy the Mariners tighter into a mid-table scrap and force them out of the top six, with McBreen happy to ackowlege the "must-win" status of the game. "The way the results have gone over the weekend we've got the chance to get back up the table and start pushing for second place, so after the past few weeks this is a game we have to win," he said. We feel a lot of little things have been adding up in recent games, and we've worked hard on correcting those this week. It's been lapses of concentration in defence, things that we've done automatically in the past few years haven't been happening. We've created chances that last year we would have buried but this year for whatever reason they haven't gone in. These are pivotal moments in games and they've been costing us. Some of those chances have come early in a game, if we take them we're in control and full of confidence. Instead we've conceded and that puts pressure on us to force the action. If we get that stuff sorted, those little things again, we know we'll be right back in it. Coach Phil Moss has promoted defender Brent Griffiths and midfielder Anthony Caceres to the squad that lost 2-0 at Western Sydney last week, but has made it clear to key members of the side that he is looking for leadership despite all the recent upheaval since Graham Arnold resigned in November. Mariners coach Phil Moss running a training session at Tuggerah. "Mossy has had chats with several of us senior boys in the past few days, to make sure we're all on the same page - and we are," McBreen said. In my case I feel fine physically, but I look at the Adelaide game [which Central Coast lost 4-0] and the chances I had - if I'd scored a couple we'd be up the league, I'd have a few goals and the season would be looked at in a different light. It's hard to stay at the top every year, especially when you're the champions, and it's up to us to keep driving that. You have to drive through the hard times to enjoy the good times I guess. Meanwhile Perth will arrive boosted by the re-signing of defender Michael Thwaite, who put pen to paper on a new two-year deal, confirming he had rejected offers from other clubs to stay in WA.