TOWN boss Mark Cooper reflected positively on his side’s tough run of fixtures after their latest victory over promotion rivals.

The 2-1 win at Peterborough is Town’s third over a team considered a candidate for promotion this month and a series of wins that could prove critical in anypush towards the Championship. Cooper’s side are now just one point behind Bristol City and sit second in the table.

With only five games between now and the New Year, there is no reason to believe Town will tire and every reason to think they could still find themselves in the promotion places come January 1.

Asked whether he viewed their recent set of results in a positive light, Cooper said: “Certainly. “Everybody looked at November and said it was a critical month and we’ve had cracking results.

“We lost a game at MK Dons that could have easily gone either way. We’ve bounced back and won some big games.”

However Cooper also warned that if his side show the lackadaisical attitude they did in the second half against Peterborough, that form will not continue. He wants his players to understand they must keep playing, even when they are in control.

“We have to try and stay on the front foot all the time. The moment we turn games into a fight, we’re not as effective. We have to dominate the football," he added.

“(In the second half) we stopped playing.

“We should have gone on to win a lot more comfortably. In the end, we’re having to defend a long throw into our box with the last kick of the game.”

One thing the County Ground chief could reflect on was the performance put in again, for the most part, without their two star midfielders for the second game running, having given Yaser Kasim and Massimo Luongo a rest after their week of long-distance travelling.

“I made a decision early on in the week that I was going to keep the same team, apart from obviously changing the striker," Cooper explained.

“Massimo and Yaser have flown a long way and played minutes in hot countries, so we had to take that into consideration and try and look after them a little bit as well.

“There’s a lot of games to play so they understand the boys did really well and probably deserve a crack. We got the win and may change it again next week.

“All in all, we’re happy with the three points but a little disappointed with the second-half performance.”