Billy Bodin joined Preston North End in the January transfer window and his absence is still felt.

Bodin left at the beginning of January, but he still has the joint-most attacking contributions for Bristol Rovers this season with nine goals and four assists.

Ellis Harrison and Liam Sercombe have shouldered the burden in his absence, but his departure has naturally had a negative impact on the club due to how influential he was.

The fact that Preston were willing to swoop for a player in a lower division halfway through a season and bring him straight into the first-team shows the quality that he possesses. He already has a goal to his name at his new club as well.

The team did well initially with a draw and two wins in the three game after he left. However, they have only won twice in their last five games. This isn't the kind of form that gets a team into the play-offs.

A top half finish wouldn't be a bad way to finish their second season in League One, but they will be mindful of how well they could have done if Bodin had stayed until the end of the season.

Having three players contributing so much offensively is rare because a lot of teams rely on one player to be their chief creative threat or their main goalscorer, but the goals are shared around by the Pirates which is a positive sign for any team challenging for promotion.

Bringing in a proper replacement for Bodin will be a priority for Darrell Clarke in the summer. If they can get a player to contribute along with Sercombe and Harrison then they could very easily be challenging for the play-offs next season, but it's highly unlikely that they can manage it this year.

Bristol Rovers fans... do you agree? Let us know below!

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