WITH Town comfortably beating Notts County 3-0 and Bristol City drawing 0-0 with just a few minutes left, it looked like Mark Cooper’s side would be taking top spot in League One for the first time this season.

But our local rivals scored their winner in the 87th minute to keep Town in second for at least another week.

Of course you would always want to see your team at the top of the table, but City’s result may well be a blessing in disguise.

Although it’s pointless to look at the league table until at least February, more pressure is always heaped onto the side at the summit.

Being at the top is something the majority of Town’s players have never experienced, but if Town did achieve top spot at some point, I’m confident the players and management would be able to handle that pressure.

Players’ contracts have dominated the news this week with Raphael Rossi Branco still to commit his future to Town, and Ben Gladwin agreeing an extension on his current deal.

It’s great news that Gladwin has extended his deal after some superb displays so far this season.

With Town’s strongest area on the pitch in midfield with Massimo Luongo, Yaser Kasim and Louis Thompson, it was always going to be hard to push into the team, so Ben has found himself at wing-back.

It was in this new role that he shone last weekend as he set-up Town’s second goal at Notts County.

The situation with Branco isn’t as straightforward, with Lee Power saying the Brazilian does not want to sign a new deal, while Branco himself is reportedly upset after being told that he would not play until he had renewed his deal at the club.

Hopefully this can be sorted. With the Christmas period coming up next week, squad rotation will be key.

Unfortunately, Town havebeen dealt a bad hand once again with the fixtures, with Town not playing at home on Boxing Day for the eighth season in a row.

But if they maintain their recent form against Doncaster, Walsall, Port Vale and Fleetwood, they have a huge chance of starting 2015 at the top of League One.

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