BOSS Terry Dolan wants to keep great expectations in check after York City climbed to third place in Division Three with a 1-0 win over Darlington.

The win, City's fourth from five home games this season, stretched the Minstermen's unbeaten home record to ten games.

And with Leyton Orient losing 2-1 to Lincoln at Brisbane Road last night, City now have the best home record in Division Three.

Dolan admitted he was delighted with the result and clean sheet, City's second in succession.

But while he conceded City's first half performance was poor, the City manager was left perplexed by sections of the crowd who were quick to vent their frustration.

"You make your own fortune in this game. We won 1-0 and it is a brilliant result," he said.

"What people have to realise, and I keep saying it week after week, every game is different.

"If people come expecting us to walk over teams then I am afraid they are mistaken.

"Darlington came here on the back of a 4-1 hammering on Saturday and it could have been six or seven.

"If that had been us, we would have been fired up for our next game.

"You could see that Darlington were not going to roll over.

"In the first half our passing was poor but in the second half it was better and we got the right result and we kept another clean sheet.

"We are certainly not complaining about the number of points we have got."

Dolan defended his decision to start with eventual match-winner Jon Parkin on the bench, after the striker sat out City's last two games with a calf strain.

The former Barnsley player got his chance sooner than expected last night when Alex Mathie limped from the fray with a heel injury just a minute before half-time.

Parkin struck City's winner on 73 minutes, firing home his fourth goal in seven starts from the edge of the penalty area.

"We didn't want to introduce him too soon because he has only had an hour's training," explained the City boss

"Had we started with him he would have been going off after 40 minutes, so maybe we got something right.

"He took his goal very well and showed he has good feet as well as being a big lad."

While disappointed with his team's first half display, the City manager continues to be encouraged by his side's character.

"They are very determined and a good group of players," he said.

"I am confident in them and I believe in them.

"We were fortunate to come in at half-time 0-0 but you have got take that fortune.

"In the second half we picked up the pace better and our passing was better."

Victory was tempered by the fact defender Tom Cowan, an ever-present this season, picked up his fifth booking of the campaign. He now faces an automatic one-match ban ruling him out of City's trip to Exeter on October 5.

Cowan was booked following a 50-50 tackle with Darlington captain Craig Liddle, who was stretchered from the pitch. He later had nine stitches in a badly gashed leg.

A South American strikeforce spearheaded City reserves' at Mansfield today with Brazilian Rogerio in tandem with Nicolas Mazzina.

City reserves: Howarth, Basham, Wise, Wood, Law, O'Kane, Potter, Wilding, Yalcin, Mazzina, Rogerio. Subs: Collinson, Davies, McKenzie, Arthur, Coad.

Updated: 12:02 Wednesday, September 18, 2002