ANOTHER page turned in the record books. Another red card. Another entertaining affair. Another drawn game. And another story of missed opportunities.

Therein lies Saturday's stalemate with Swansea. Therein lies York City's season.

After starting the season with a bang and matching the club's record start, Saturday's dismissal of Richard Hope saw City equal another record, this time for the number of red cards in a campaign.

City have had five players sent off in a season before, but never by the start of December.

Hope's dismissal following a bout of wrestling with Lee Trundle, which triggered an ugly and unnecessary 18-man melee, certainly raised the temperature on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon.

But red cards and bravado aside, there was plenty of good football played and entertainment provided too.

The end result was perhaps to be expected as City made it seven games unbeaten in the League, with their sixth draw of that run.

City are proving to be a hard team to beat but the difference between success and failure in this division is paper thin.

An inability to turn these draws into wins is starting to prove costly in terms of points - a couple more wins in this seven-match streak would have taken City to within touching distance of the play-offs.

It must be hoped by the end of the season City will not be looking back to this period tinged with regret and contemplating what might have been.

For frustratingly this was yet another game City could and should have won.

Once again, the Minstermen were the better team over the 90 minutes and created by far the greater opportunities.

They were genuine chances too, so clear and obvious that they couldn't just see the whites of the keeper's eyes but they could also smell his after-shave.

Unfortunately for City, Swans' veteran shot-stopper Roger Freestone was in inspirational form.

As early as the first minute, the 35-year-old produced an important block with his legs to deny the marauding Darren Edmondson.

The save set the tone. A minute later, Freestone was at full stretch to turn Lee Bullock's curling effort from the corner of the box around a post.

And so it continued.

Picking the ball up out wide on the left, Jon Shaw spun away from his marker, cut inside, brushed off a couple of challenges before letting rip with a 30-yard effort arrowed for the top corner.

Freestone stretched every last sinew and somehow managed to tip the ball over the bar.

Five minutes before half-time and Dave Merris got to the by-line and drove the ball across the face of the Swansea goal.

Bullock arrived with impeccable timing and looked certain to score but was left cursing Freestone again as visiting 'keeper saved from point-blank range with his shins.

City did not have things all their own way and the Minstermen were also grateful to their 'keeper, Mark Ovendale, for a couple of important saves.

Before the red mist descended over Trundle and Hope, Ovendale got down sharply to save a low shot from Swansea's top scorer.

He also produced a top-class save to push Andy Robinson's well-struck free-kick over the crossbar.

But after Trundle's dismissal, Swansea lacked a focal point and real penetration.

They were perhaps more controlled in the second half and it took another telling block from Ovendale to deny the diminutive Leon Britton.

But it was City who once again continued to create the greater chances, and continued to curse Freestone.

He saved from Bullock, for what felt like the umpteenth time, at the near post and grabbed a Merris long-range effort before saving his very best until the very last.

With just seconds left on the clock, City flung the ball into the penalty area one final time.

With his back to goal and less than ten yards, Bullock brought the ball down, swivelled and fired goalwards.

It looked a certain winner but Freestone yet again produced the improbable to push the danger away at full stretch.

An unbelievable save it might have been but, just like the game itself and the end result, we really shouldn't have been too surprised.

Match Facts:

Nationwide League Div 3

Saturday, November 29, 2003

at Bootham Crescent

City ratings

Ovendale 7

Edmondson 5

Smith 6

Brass 6

Hope 5

Merris 7

Dunning 8

Brackstone 7

Bullock 8

Nogan 7

Shaw 7 (Browne 68m, 6)

Subs not used: Porter, Cooper, Stewart, George

Star Man: Lee Bullock - man in demand gave a top-class performance

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

Swansea: Freestone, Duffy (Jones 59m), Iriekpen, Tate, Howard, Durkan (Coates 85m), Britton, Robinson, Johnrose, Trundle, Nugent (Thomas 73m).

Subs not used: Williams, O'Leary.

Yellow cards: Smith 18m, Robinson 18m, Brass 50m, Edmondson 80m, Johnrose 80m.

Red cards: Hope 18m, Trundle 18m

Referee: Brian Curson (Leicestershire). Rating: A number of questionable decisions.

Attendance: 3,209

Weather watch: Wet and miserable for the most part

Game breaker: Any number of Freestone saves.

Match rating: Decent spectacle.

Updated: 09:16 Monday, December 01, 2003