There's been a great deal of speculation in recent weeks regarding the future of Matt Tubbs as an AFC Wimbledon player, with manager Neal Ardley suggesting that his loan spell may not last the whole season.

He notched his 15th goal of the campaign on Sunday, so it's not hard to see why the prolific striker - on loan from Bournemouth - is attracting such interest.

We will undoubtedly do our best to keep him for the rest of the season, but we may well find ourselves priced out if League One clubs start chasing his signature.

Having struggled for goals once Michael Smith left in similar circumstances 12 months ago, we can be sure that Ardley will have given a great deal of thought as to our plan of action should Bournemouth choose to cash in on Tubbs.

Young striker Ade Azeez has improved a great deal over the course of the season, and has played a big part in helping us to successive victories post-Christmas.

Some have suggested that he deserves a chance to cement a place in the side.

If he continues to improve at the current rate he will surely eventually become a first-choice striker, but he simply isn't ready for that responsibility just yet - he lacks the experience and composure in front of goal that Tubbs has in abundance.

One key factor that ought to help Ardley find a replacement, should it be necessary, is the lure of Adebayo Akinfenwa as a strike partner.

Tubbs has thrived alongside Bayo, and the big man's selflessness will help any decent striker to score on a regular basis.

But the importance of a poacher like Tubbs to complement Akinfenwa can't be underestimated; strikers with a natural goalscoring instinct are not easy to come by, and neither Akinfenwa or Azeez are anywhere near as dangerous as Tubbs in front of goal.

Supporting players of the calibre of Francomb, Rigg, and Akinfenwa, as well as Azeez's good form, means we won't see a repeat of last season's goalscoring crisis, whatever happens with Tubbs.

But keeping him on would be brilliant for us: we're now just four points off the play-offs, and a sharpshooting centre forward is a necessity for any side with promotion ambitions.

Ardley will have learnt from the mistakes and bad fortune that destabilised us last season, and I'm confident he'll be able to react well in January, whatever the circumstances.