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The answer is unequivocally NO and here's why...

Despite their prolific goal scoring records they gained us no promotions...

Reliance on a high scoring striker allows them to become easily marked out of a game....

This seasons top 3 scorers in league 2 play for clubs in the bottom half of the table...

High scoring strikers attract attention from bigger clubs where they go to and subsequently end up bench warming...

The last 2 times we have gained promotion we have done so without prolific strikers and the goals came from all over the park and this season seem to be replicating that pattern.

A goal difference of +35? Unbelievable...

Having no single high scoring player means that the star quality is the team as a whole and this has been proven this season beyond doubt.

That is all - discuss

Do we 'need' one - possibly not. Would it be nice - yes.

I'd have Coxy on our team in a second regardless of whether we need him or not  :-[

You don't need a prolific goalscorer provided you have a rock solid defence and/or fire power spread across the team.

We have a great mix of all 3 this year. Lets hope we can replicate that in league 1 if we get there.

Strikers win games

Teams win titles

Agree that having a 20-25 goal striker isn't a necessity. Benson, Kerrouche and Connell between them have 27 goals this season, we've kind of done 'main striker' by committee. Doesn't hurt that our wingers have got 17 goals and counting as well.

Winning games wins titles Q.E.D.

We got one.Paul Benson. Close the thread

Form is temporary,class is permanent.

When you have class/quality strikers, you're always in the game.

Dont overlook the defences part in that, during our 10 game winning streak we conceded 5 goals. If we had a leaky defence then a regular goal scorer becomes more critical

We don't need one

But we'd break records if we had one

We don't need one but I would like one and I am sure Paolo would also like one!

A poacher alonside Benson up top would round our team off nicely.

It would be nice to have a 20-25 goal a season striker, and who knows give Benson a full season and I have a feeling he will be that striker.

Based on this season though, it's not a neccesity as our set up brings us goals from across the park!

Benson is the ultimate lower league poacher no? Something silly like 5 of his last 7 have come from within the 6 yard box. What we need is pace, power and the ability to run in behind.

Benson is the poacher.I really wouldn't be suprised to see pdc ditch the 2nd striker and let rooney or holmes roam behind benson.

A new-age 4-2-3-1 would go down a treat. Ritchie, Holmes and Rooney behind Benson, Ferry and Smith/Risser/Cox as the two.

we've got 2, but Connell will never get a fair chance here it seems.

Connell imo is no where near in the same bracket as Benson as far as goal scoring goes.

I like Conell and want him to do well but for he misses too may sitters and isn't your typical poacher,his goals last season shows he is better as a 2nd striker and personally i don't think he is good enough to play as the main striker 

I've been here before mate.

Connell pops up with some important goals which seems to paper over the cracks and make people forget his sometimes average performances and missed sitters.

I think he's better than you two credit him with. That said the boss doesn't play him much so i don't think he rates him, and with us flying i don't care really. i expect him to be moved on in the summer and decent money spent on another forward to partner benson.

I have to admit I don't rate Connell that highly myself. Yes he scores some good goals but the amount of clear(ish) cut chances he misses is pretty high compaired to what he converts and he doesn't contribute as much as he could do.

He isn't a bad player but I don't think he deserves to be playing every game, unlike Benson who is our best striker by a country mile.

I rate him arriba just don't think he has played the role suited to him

Good league 2 striker who probably has deserved a few more starts than he has had.

He won’t be of much use next season though assuming we are looking towards the higher end of league 1 as our target.

I like Connell and often think he deserves more time. However, I've yet to find fault in anything Paolo has done and if Paolo doesn't play him, he obviously has good reasons (and knows Connell far better than we ever will) and that's good enough for me.

Not trying to be argumentative, but I can't immediately remember any glaring sitters Connel has missed this season.

Feel free to enlighten me

I dunno, I'm with Arriba on this one. I rate Connell highly myself. But it's unfair to compare Connell and Benson in terms of the way in which they play.
Benson is all about his positioning, composure, anticipation etc etc, which is ideal for when balls are played into the box, whereas Connell is more about his work ethic and linking up outside of the box, so you're bound to get different results.

Benson is by no means lazy, just to clarify! But Connell chases down everything. His work ethic is very good, and is probably the reason he looks fucked after 20 minutes!

That said, I've no qualms with a tired Benson being hauled off for an eager Alan Connell. Connell will be an asset in League One, especially coming off the bench.

Benson up top with Holmes, Ritchie and Rooney playing as a three behind him does sound fucking good, mind!

Can you imagine a manager's reaction when he's prepared for the game by picking 2 men to mark Richie only to discover Richie's in the hole and we have Homlés and Rooney on the wings? I like the idea of that amount of creativity buzzing around and trying to be marked out of the game.

Yep, indeed Barry! Likin' the idea very much. With Ferry and Smith cleaning up behind these four. Jobs a gooden! But we shall see I guess. I like how we've kept it fairly simple this season. It's worked wonders. But then I guess the higher up you go, the more a 'plan B' is required.

Exciting stuff nevertheless

I do like the sound of Rooney sat behind Benson with Holmes on the left and Ritchie on the right, or Ritchie behind Benson with Rooney on the right.

It is a variation away from the 4-4-2 that Paolo likes to play though, would he be willing to change the formation this late in the season when it has been doing so well for us until now?

Are Rooney/Ritchie capable of playing in that role? yes they have the ability thats not in doubt but do they have the right footballing brain to be able to adapt to the new role.

Of them all I feel Ritchie would relish being given a free role behind a striker.

I'd definetly keep it how it is for the remainder of the season. Like they say, if it ent broken, don't fix it, I suppose. But as a future formation, I think it has the ability to work. Rooney sometimes goes 'walkabouts' when the ball is at his feet, and to great effect as well, so I think he'd suit it, as would Ritchie, like you say.

Agree with this. Although didn't Paolo say earlier in the season he thought Ritchie had too much of a free role last year?

I am unable to comment on that as I didn't hear him say it but it does sound like a Paolo comment, he does like players to have a role that they stick to and follow during the game, you only have to see how Kerrouche has been treated for not following instruction to see that Paolo does not seem to be a fan of "roaming" on the pitch.

I doubt it will happen but the thought of accomodating Holmes, Rooney and Ritchie in the team is a mouthwatering prospect.

I appreciate Benson and Connell are different players although there isn't a huge difference. i think both would bag goals galore as a pair given a run. Who knows how Connell would have done if he was playing regularly? He hasn't had the pitch time in succession Benson has to build up momentum. I like his hold up and linking play plus he can score goals. He's also decent with his head considering he isn't the biggest.

I don't really have a problem with what the boss does as he is getting results,i just don't think Connell has had a fair crack. Di canio has always looked for a reason not to play him when i think it should be vice versa.
If he'd had a run in the side and not done well then i could agree with it,but he doesn't do alot wrong imo and on occasions gets dropped after playing really well. Ditto getting subbed when looking a threat.

 I think he deserves alot of credit for the way he has conducted himself and played well when given a chance, as many a player would have had enough by now. It can hardly boost confidence(which is the biggest factor in playing well)when you are in and out of the team and squad so much.

I think Connell will suprise a few,i reckon he will be here next season and i reckon he will play and score goals,like he has done this season.
His fitness means at times he looks shattered after 70 mins or so and i reckon Paolo will keep him as a back up player....and a good one at that.
And i still think he will play and score a few more this season.

 Depends which division we're in...I've seen 2 promotions from Div 4, and each time the goals were shared around a bit, don't think anyone scoring more than Charlie Henry's 18 from midfield.

 So if we're still in Div 4 it's probably not that important....I've seen 4 elevations from Div 3, and 3 or 4 near misses, and each time we've had a couple of high scoring strikers...even if they may have not been in a conventional 4-4-2.

 Which would suggest that we'll need similar next season if back in Div 3.

Ironically, given the title of the thread, I would love us to sign Parkin - Jon Parkin.

He looks like a pub player, is pretty dirty and built like a brick shit house. He would be perfect - and he has a decent scoring record at L1 and above.

I know he wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but I think he is the physical presence which we have been lacking and Paolo seems to crave. When I say 'lacking', it's all relative but he would improve us I believe. A good example would be Leicester in the Cup where we were a good match for them in all areas bar the final third where, frankly, their defenders were better than our strikers.

Nothing against Benson or Connell but I think if you had put Parkin (or even better, Darius Henderson, but I would accept he is out of our reach at the moment) alongside either one of those two  then you would have had a different outcome.

As a club, you have to look at where you can improve. You can never say, I think we're fine as we are. You have to constantly evolve and improve and if you stand still, you end up going backwards (I think I read that on a beer mat once).

I as you all know would like the chappie from Barnet......still. ;D

I think we will definitely need to sign a good striker to be in the mix for promotion next season.
We've more than got by this season because we've been so much better than most teams that we have been able to afford not to convert shedloads of chances that we've had.
To win consistently at L1 I think we'll need to have a better striker than the likes of Connell who is perfectly adequate for L2 but not the standard needed for next season.