IT’S goodbye and good riddance to the Big Freeze as Rovers finally managed to get a game played this year following a series of postponements.

And it was worth the wait as the Pirates ended their awful sequence of away defeats with a highly creditable point at Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

The planned game at Leyton Orient on Saturday was the latest to be called off, so a fixture at high-flying Huddersfield would not have been the ideal game to go into after an enforced spell on the sidelines, but the Gas showed their battling and defensive qualities to emerge with a draw.

The result also came after the disappointment of Pat Baldwin’s decision to turn down the chance to join Rovers, opting instead to remain at Colchester.

Although he would have been an asset to the side and would have added to the quality and strength of the squad, we are still well covered in defence so his absence is not too great a blow.

But the ongoing quest for a new striker remains the most pressing issue and could be the difference between a charge for the play-offs and a season that drifts towards a top 10 finish.

Rovers were linked this week with the Swindon striker Paynter, who is the type of forward with a physical presence we are looking for.

However, whether our League One rivals would be prepared to let him join us at a crucial point during the season is another matter.

Lennie has been cautious in his comments about any activity in the transfer market, suggesting that any signing will come towards the end of the month, if at all. Let us hope he is just being cagey with the media and the board and management show the ambition necessary to push us on for the rest of the season.

In the meantime, the Memorial Stadium should at last defeat the Big Freeze on Saturday when Rovers host Hartlepool, which should provide the opportunity to continue our impressive home form with a win to ensure the promotion race hots up.

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