JUST like Northwich Victoria and Leigh RMI before them, inferior visitors Canvey Island left Bootham Crescent with a point on Saturday after York City's failure to display a cutting edge in front of goal.

The Minstermen have now thrown away a significant six points in those one-sided home affairs, meaning the difference between a league position verging on the play-off frame and the club's current placing of 16th.

Victories, instead of draws, against Northwich, Leigh and Canvey would mean Chris Brass' men could now be sitting just two points outside of the top six.

The fact that City have failed to break down all three of those modest teams' defences in open play - only scoring against Northwich because of Darren Dunning's penalty - is a significant reason for the club's disappointing position.

The other main contributing factor is the woeful defensive displays that marred the Minstermen's early days in the Nationwide Conference but those costly mistakes appear to have been eradicated.

Teenage goalkeeper David Stockdale kept his fourth clean sheet in nine league games against Canvey and Sean Davies was once more dependable as Brass kept faith in the young defender despite the return to fitness of on-loan centre-back David McGurk.

Midfielder Gary Pearson was also solid again at the back and Dave Merris enjoyed his best performance of the season at left-back, foraging forward and defending diligently in equal measure.

Brass complemented his fellow defenders' work by being as typically tenacious as ever at right-back although his distribution and crossing did not always find the intended target.

It was City's flair players, however, that failed to deliver against last season's Ryman League champions.

Teenage winger Bryan Stewart struggled to beat his marker and, on the opposite flank, Paul Robinson regularly dribbled past one opponent before frustratingly running into the next tackle.

Turkish under-20 international Levent Yalcin will also be disappointed with his impact after being given his eagerly-anticipated first start of the season.

Yalcin had three first half opportunities to open the scoring but elected to shoot early on every occasion when carrying the ball a further five yards would have vastly increased his chances.

There are few doubters that Yalcin has a talent for long-range shooting, as was evident in his spectacular strike at Morecambe, but the teenager might need instructing on when to try his luck from distance and when not to.

It would be a shame, however, if he is consigned back to the bench after Saturday's display.

The 19-year-old's first chance arrived on nine minutes after he received Merris' pass into the penalty box but his low drive was parried by Canvey 'keeper Danny Potter.

Four minutes later, Yalcin collected a pass from Robinson in his stride before dragging a shot across the face of goal and wide.

The visitors then survived worthwhile Minstermen penalty appeals when player-coach Lee Nogan appeared to be nudged over by Canvey defender Dominic Sterling after a Stewart cross.

Canvey's only on-target shot of the first-half - a 25-yard Ollie Berquez drive - was smothered well by Stockdale after it bounced dangerously off the greasy surface on 20 minutes and City immediately returned to the offensive.

Yalcin missed probably his best chance when the careless Sterling gifted him possession but the Middlesbrough-born forward's shot bounced weakly wide when he had only Potter to beat.

Robinson did carry the ball closer to the Canvey goal when he was released by a Paul Groves header but, never looked convincing, and his eventual shot was easily parried by Potter.

At the other end, Canvey rarely threatened with heavyweight striker Neil Gregory lacking the pace to trouble City and non-League journeyman Junior MacDougald appearing more intent on delaying free-kicks than troubling Stockdale's goal.

Gregory did, however, miss good opportunities with his head and left foot on the stroke of half-time before Dunning's half-volley from 15 yards was tipped over by Potter at the other end.

In the second half, Berquez's deflected drive bounced narrowly wide and Ben Sedgemore forced a full-stretch save from Stockdale before Groves was unlucky on 65 minutes.

The 38-year-old midfielder may have his detractors in the Bootham Crescent crowd but his penalty box intelligence and threat at free-kicks is unrivalled in the current City team.

Groves met Dunning's inswinging free-kick with his head and, then, when the ball broke loose to him, turned sharply to fire in a low drive that Potter instinctively turned around a post.

Youth-team striker Robbie Haw became the fifth teenager to be used by Brass against Canvey when he replaced Yalcin with ten minutes to go and showed some impressive touches, almost immediately setting up Stewart for a low 25-yard drive that bounced narrowly wide.

However, despite being frustrated to only claim a point from Saturday's match, the final result could have been even worse for City had Brass' last-ditch tackle, as Canvey substitute Jason Hallett bore down on goal, not ricocheted to safety off the chest of Stockdale in the second minute of stoppage time.

City travel to table-topping Barnet next Saturday before returning to league action at Bootham Crescent against Forest Green Rovers when another failure to score from open play would be unacceptable.

Match facts:

Nationwide Conference

Saturday, October 16, 2004

at Bootham Crescent

City ratings:

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

Stockdale 7

Brass 6

Pearson 7

Davies 7

Merris 8

Robinson 6

Dunning 7

Groves 7

Stewart 5

Yalcin 5 (Haw 80min)

Nogan 5

(McGurk 90)

Subs not used: Porter, Coad, Smith.

Star man: Merris - defended resiliently and chose the right times to attack down the flanks in his best display of the season.

Canvey Island: Potter, Cowan, Ward, Sterling, Kennedy, Berquez, Keeling (Hallett, 80), Sedgemore, Duffy, Gregory (Goodwin, 72), McDougald. Subs not used: Joseph, Smith, Harrison.

Yellow cards: Dunning 31, Berquez 59, Merris 87.

Red cards: None

Referee: Mark Tilling (Cleveland) rating: erratic performance from the man who controversially sent off Chris Porter earlier in the season.

Attendance: 2,207.

Weather watch: Breezy with showers.

Game breaker: Danny Potter's instinctive save from Paul Groves seemed to give City the impression they'd never score.

Match rating: Another two points thrown away as City lacked the flair.

Player watch: Levent Yalcin

Shots on target: 1 Goals: 0

Shots off target: 2

Blocked shots: 0

Passes to own player: 13

Passes to opposition: 7

Crosses to own player: 0

Crosses to opposition: 0

Pass completion rate: 65 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 2 Dribbles ball lost: 7

Dribble success rate: 22.2 per cent

Headers: 5 Tackles: 4 Offsides: 0

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 1

Free kicks won: 0 Free kicks conceded: 2 Bookings: 0

Final summary: Will be disappointed with his first start of the season. As well as missing three first half chances, his passing and dribble success rates were quite low.

Updated: 10:47 Monday, October 18, 2004