LEIGH Wood reckons a miserable stalemate or even a scrappy goal is all that is needed to spark York City back into life.

Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Yeovil made it three consecutive reverses for the Minstermen, a run that is in stark contrast to their record equalling four game winning streak at the start of the campaign.

Manager Chris Brass has challenged his players to bounce back swiftly against Darlington at Bootham Crescent tonight.

Speaking ahead of the clash with the Quakers, Wood is at a loss to explain the reasons behind City's dramatic turnaround in form and fortune.

But he insists it won't take much for City's stock to rise again.

"That is three defeats on the bounce now but we don't want to panic," he reasoned.

"At the moment, we just need a bit of a kick up the rear to get going. Just a goal might make a massive difference. Stuart Wise had a shot right at the start of the second half against Yeovil that the 'keeper saved. Had that gone in it would have given us a lifeline and who knows what might have happened?

"We just need a spark like that really and perhaps we do need to grind a result out.

"We managed it at Huddersfield this season when we got a 1-0 win. You have to get results like that and grind those sort of performances out."

Wood was left scratching his head at another tale of two York Citys at Huish Park.

After a poor first half City bounced back sharply in the second but by then the damage had been done.

Wood, who faces a battle to cling on to his position in the starting line-up tonight with the return of midfielder Darren Dunning from suspension, admits City cannot afford to get stuck in the blocks tonight.

"We were really disappointed with the first-half performance," he said.

"The second half we got going and got them on the back foot but it just never really happened. I don't know why, but everyone has to take responsibility for themselves and prepare right and get ready.

"There is a lot of young lads and we are all gelling well together.

"We just have to get our heads down and we have to deal with it and make sure we start better.

"We have to get what has happened out of our minds and put it right."

Squads:

York City: (possible) Ovendale, Downes, Wise, Brass, Hope, Merris, Dunning, Ward, Bullock, Nogan, Wilford. Subs, from: Porter, George, Wood, Cooper, Brackstone, Stewart.

Darlington (possible): Collett, Valentine, Liddle, McGurk, Clarke, Hughes, Pearson, Keltie, Hutchinson, Nicholls, Conlon. Subs, from: Clark, Bossy, Price, Wainwright, Robson.

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Preston)

Kick off: 7.45pm

Updated: 11:09 Tuesday, September 16, 2003