THOUGH it is a rather large carrot, Town boss Mark Cooper says topping the League One table at this stage would mean nothing.

If Bristol City get anything less than a win at Peterborough tonight, Town have the opportunity to hit top spot if they beat Fleetwood on Saturday. Given the respective form of all teams involved, the scenario is not out of the question.

For Town fans, to see their team heading into December leading the league would be a fantastic feeling.

But Cooper – ever the realist– insists to reach the summit at this stage, though a great achievement, is meaningless.

“It would be a fantastic achievement for the players, wouldn’t it?” said the Robins boss when posed with the possibility.

“That’s all it is (an achievement), it means nothing. Until the end of the season, it means nothing. It would mean more in the first or second weekend in May.”

Though it does appear that the teams around Town are starting to worry about it. Both sides in Friday night’s big clash have added to their squads before the loan window shut yesterday.

Bristol brought in Matt Smith and Peterborough reunited Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith, not to mention Preston, who drafted in Jermaine Beckford to fill the hole left by Joe Garner’s injury.

For Town, signings of that ilk are not an option due to their tight budget, but that does not worry Cooper.

“All it is is a name on a teamsheet. They’re good players but it doesn’t guarantee you anything, you’ve still got to win the games.

“I’m not too worried about anyone else, I’m just concentrating on my players.

“As a group, they’ve proved they can be one of the best.

“(Our rivals) have got their own agenda, they all want to get in the play-offs, they all want to get promotion.

“Their chairmen are going to gamble on paying out big wages to try and fire them into it.

“We’ve chosen to go a different route. The chairman is very astute in his recruitment and I don’t think we’d change it.”