Roy Keane is taking nothing for granted as Manchester United head into 2004 in pole position to retain their Premiership crown.
United will spend the new year in familiar territory on top of the table after their win at Middlesbrough on Sunday, which was far more comfortable than the 1-0 scoreline suggested.
Even the loss of Darren Fletcher to a hotly-disputed double yellow card could not halt United's title march as Sir Alex Ferguson's side cruised through the final half-hour with barely a scare to end a run of successive defeats at the Riverside and pile the pressure on chief championship rivals Arsenal, who last night closed the gap to just one point after a 1-0 win at Southampton.
Ferguson is likely to be busy finalising his plans for the January sales before United resume their league programme at Bolton following their FA Cup third-round date with Aston Villa this weekend.
And the United skipper would welcome one or two new faces - especially in attack - as the Red Devils look to push on towards the championship.
Keane reflected: "We are quite happy with the way things are going, but the time we really want to be top is in May when the trophies are being handed out.
"We have played well in patches and generally we have got stronger in the second half of the season, although you can't afford to look at the history books.
"It is what we do this season that counts now and there is still a long way to go yet." Keane added: "The spirit amongst the squad is outstanding, but I still think we could do with another one or two players.
"When you bring someone in, it gives everyone a lift and I know myself from when the manager buys a midfield player it makes you step up another level.
"The manager is always looking at the bigger picture but squad-wise we came up a little bit short last year. Please God nothing happens to Ruud van Nistelrooy because maybe we are not as strong up front as people think we are."
Ferguson has already indicated his intention to bring in a new striker to take the pressure off the free-scoring Dutchman, who remains on 17 for the season after drawing a rare blank against Boro.
If weekend reports suggesting Diego Forlan could be offloaded in any deal to bring veteran centre-half Gareth Southgate to Old Trafford are to be believed, then Ferguson has probably set his sights on two purchases when the month-long transfer window opens on Thursday.
Ideally both will be free to add weight to United's Champions League campaign, emphasising the attraction of Mark Viduka and Louis Saha, who have both been linked with a move to the Red Devils recently.