EITHER the person in charge of Tamworth's public address system has an ironic sense of humour or the locals just have a strange definition of entertainment.

Belting out Robbie Williams' 'Let Me Entertain You' as both teams run out is hardly an original concept at football grounds but it can rarely have seemed as inappropriate than on Saturday.

Tamworth might be nicknamed the Lambs but there is nothing sheepish about their style of football.

Epitomised by man-mountain skipper Matt Redmile, whose physique would shame most nightclub doormen, the Staffordshire side are uncompromising and uneasy on the eye.

Long throws, hopeful punts forward and aerial battles are their forte but then how many similar-sized clubs with such modest means - Tamworth could only name three substitutes against York City because of injury problems - would be pre-occupied with attractive football when they are fighting to preserve their Conference future?

Supporters of the Minstermen, members of the Football League for 75 years, expect higher standards and levels of entertainment but, as so often over the last year, were let down at Tamworth.

It is a frightening statistic that if Andy Bishop's goals and Darren Dunning's penalties are disregarded, then centre-backs Paul Groves and Jon Maloney present the Minstermen's biggest attacking threat with three goals each this season.

No player on the KitKat Crescent books has scored more times from open play other than Bishop and, with their ten-goal marksman sidelined, it was no coincidence that City failed to muster a single shot on target against a poor Tamworth outfit and waited 72 minutes for their first attempt of any description.

The strikers are not the sole cause of the problem however.

With lone playmaker Kevin Donovan anonymous at the Lamb Ground, front two Ben Jackson and Paul D Robinson were starved of service.

The pace of on-loan forward Jackson suggests he would have the ability to run behind defences - a rare commodity in recent City sides - but for most of Saturday's 90 minutes he was competing for headers against Redmile. Pursuits do not come any more pointless.

Jackson missed a great chance to score at Halifax last Monday and Dave Merris squandered a good opportunity against Tamworth but their failures in front of goal only seem so glaring and crucial because of the sparsity of similar openings.

No side can hope to make progress simply by converting their one good chance in a game and City need to increase their likelihood of scoring by creating more opportunities.

Two off-target efforts from former left-back Merris, a player still becoming accustomed to finding himself in goalscoring positions, is an unacceptable return from 90 minutes against very ordinary opponents.

Surprisingly, considering the threat posed by long Jude Stirling throws, Tamworth netted from a low drive across the face of City's goal by Aaron Brown that was tapped in at the far post by Bob Taylor on 31 minutes.

Otherwise, Steve Davis, making his first start in six months, coped well with the aerial bombardment into the visiting penalty box and Chris Porter also pulled off a hat-trick of saves to deny Tamworth striker Tris Whitman.

The first was an instinctive stop after Whitman fired straight at the City 'keeper from close range on 36 minutes. The second came at the death with Porter thrusting up an arm to keep out Whitman's rising drive and he then smothered bravely at the former Scarborough striker's feet.

Earlier, Merris had sliced high and wide from 30 yards before missing his team's best and only other chance.

It was crafted cleverly by substitute Paul Robinson, whose stepover flummoxed Redmile before he picked out Merris near the penalty spot with a precise cross.

The former Harrogate Town man ensured that Ryan Price would end the afternoon without having to make a save though when he fired wide.

That was as exciting as it got for City's travelling fans. Fortunately, like Mr Williams, manager Billy McEwan insists that, given time, he will provide entertainment but not of the Tamworth variety.

Match facts:

Nationwide Conference

Saturday, March 19, 2005

at The Lamb

Tamworth 1, (Taylor 31)

York City 0

City ratings:

Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire

Porter 7

Law 7

Maloney 7

Davis 7

Smith 6 (Groves HT 6)

Donovan 5

Dunning 5

Webster 5 (Yalcin HT 5)

Merris 6

P D Robinson 5 (P Robinson 70, 6)

Jackson 5

Subs not used: Grant, Reid

Star man: Law - battling performance at right-back

Tamworth: Price, Simpson, Redmile,Brown,Stirling, Marcelle, Storer, Cooper, Soares (Francis, 89), Taylor, Whitman (Sheppard, 90). Sub not used: Douglas.

Yellow cards: Davis 59, Paul Robinson 90

Red cards: None.

Referee: Wayne Macintosh (Lincoln) rating: some strange decisions but never had a major one to make.

Attendance: 1,136

Weather watch: Mild and calm

Game breaker: Dave Merris' miss in a game where his side created next to nothing proved costly.

Match rating: Awful. Not how the beautiful game is supposed to be played.

Player Watch: Steve Davis

Shots on target: 0

Shots off target: 0

Blocked shots: 0

Passes to own player: 7

Passes to opposition: 5

Crosses to own player: 0

Crosses to opposition: 1

Pass success rate: 53.8 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 1 Dribbles ball lost: 1

Dribble success rate: 50 per cent

Headers: 23 Tackles: 1 Offsides: 0

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 12

Free kicks won: 3 Free-kicks conceded: 5 Bookings: 1

Final summary: Steve Davis' aerial ability lessened Tamworth's threat from long throws and he won an encouraging 23 headers. His high clearance, blocks and interceptions tally was also impressive but he was booked after dragging down Whitman.

Updated: 10:22 Monday, March 21, 2005