In Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol we had two players who Dennis clearly had faith in and who have found the net fairly regularly this term, but the options beyond that pairing were few in number.

Tore Andre Flo seemed to be constantly injured and Leon Constantine was rarely fit either and, for all our early progress, there was always a danger that the goals would dry up.

We have seen that happen gradually since Christmas and my biggest frustration about Tuesday night's defeat to Cheltenham Town was that we never looked like turning the masses of possession we had into a flood of goals.

Anthony Elding cut Cheltenham's lead to 2-1 in the last five minutes, but it was too late by then to make any difference.

And another worrying aspect of the defeat was the fact that Keith Downing's side knew exactly how to cope with and repel our attacks.

Along with strikers, we have also lacked natural wingers this season, and it is easy for a team to defend against you when they know that you are unlikely to get down their flanks and past their full-backs. They simply lump men behind the ball.

The simple truth is that we are not scoring enough goals at the moment. Goals win you games, and teams who win games end up in the play-offs. Tuesday's defeat was a bad result, make no mistake about that, and it is imperative that the players reverse that result at Port Vale tomorrow.

The match at Vale Park is not only a game Leeds United must win – it is a game we should win.

If you list their players alongside ours, it is clear that our squad is superior in strength and quality, and if the team selected by Gary McAllister play to their potential, then they will earn three points from the game.

They must take responsibility for ensuring that their performance reaches the required level.

We can talk endlessly about the fact that Port Vale are fighting for their lives and scrapping for everything, but that does not stop Leeds from taking to the field and dominating them.

I've actually enjoyed away games slightly more than home matches this season because United tend to get more space in which to play, and it will probably help our cause if Port Vale feel the need to take the game to Leeds in front of their own fans.

But our matches at Elland Road are of vital importance to us, and it concerns me that teams are travelling to our stadium with increasing confidence.

With the attendances we are getting, Elland Road should be a fortress, but it does not have a formidable aura at present.

The more that managers and players see clubs like Crewe and Cheltenham coming to Elland Road and taking points away with them, the more our opponents are likely to fancy their chances.

That, however, is an issue for next week. Tomorrow's game is absolutely vital and there is no room for another slip up.