THIS time last year there was a clamour for Burnley to keep top scorer Jay Rodriguez.

They were ultimately doomed appeals from a collection of ex-Clarets and the Turf Moor faithful as the homegrown striker flew the nest for the first time to join Southampton in a big money move to the Premier League.

Fans feared where the goals would come from – understandably so, given that Rodriguez had contributed 21 in league and cup, helping the Clarets to sit on the fringes of the top six for a while, until they tailed off towards the end of the season.

But Austin had provided enough back-up to suggest that he could take on the mantle of marksman.

Despite a season disrupted by injury – after suffering a third dislocation of his shoulder – the former Swindon Town predator had weighed in substantially with 17 goals (six in his last eight games, including a first senior hat-trick).

It was the former bricklayer and Poole Town predator’s fourth season in professional football, and only his first full season in the Championship following a January transfer the previous term.

He has pushed on this season to surpass most people’s expectations – perhaps, arguably, even his own at this level.

It says much for a stunning start to the campaign, and his instincts in and around the box, that there was an element of disappointment that he couldn’t beat Willie Irvine’s long-standing post-war league goals record of 29.

While he blazed a trail, quickly working his way into double figures, and pushing on to 20, dry spells and injury stopped him short of the magical 30 milestone.

The 23-year-old did still manage to etch his name in the club’s history books in October by netting in eight consecutive games to match Ray Pointer’s 54-year-old record.

In outscoring the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for a spell, he was more than just the talk of the town, and the January transfer window was met with some trepidation. Burnley got through it unscathed.

But perhaps this window could be the last for Austin at Turf Moor.

The search for an attacking successor is nothing new to Burnley, though. Down the decades the club has had a conveyor belt of strikers.

In recent times Andy Payton was replaced by Gareth Taylor, Robbie Blake followed on, then Ade Akinbiyi and later Andy Gray, whose January transfer to Charlton Athletic in 2008 led to the capture of Martin Paterson the following summer. Steven Fletcher was signed the year after.

Injury has kept Paterson out of the picture a few times, but his absence allowed Rodriguez to flourish, with support from Chris Eagles and Chris Iwelumo in 2010/11 before he formed a dream partnership with Austin the following year.

Austin took on the goalscoring baton when Rodriguez moved on.

On paper there doesn’t seem to be a natural successor for next season given how heavily Burnley leaned on Austin for goals in 2012/13.

Paterson was next in line with eight, Chris McCann and Junior Stanislas both got five.

The gulf between them and Austin was huge.

Another factor which sets this summer apart from others is the number of strikers the club could lose before a competitive ball is kicked, with Danny Ings emerging as a wanted man for Bournemouth.

Paterson’s future, too, has yet to be finalised following the offer of a new contract.

Manager Sean Dyche will have reinforcements in mind if Austin does move on. But they have already proved there is life without their marksman.

When the striker was out for the whole of January out with a hamstring problem Ings and Sam Vokes stepped in to fill the void.

The little and large combination kept Championship defences well occupied, and helped bring team-mates, such as wide men Ross Wallace and Junior Stanislas, into play.

Both Ings and Vokes were on the scoresheet in a win at Millwall which rounded off the first month of 2013 with three straight league wins and clean sheets.

Existing heirs to the star striker throne could shrink, but that conveyor belt will keep moving.