YORK City's spot-kick woes continued as the Minstermen were forced to settle for a scoreless draw with Carlisle United at Bootham Crescent.

City were left to rue a stack of missed opportunities, including Michael Proctor's second minute penalty which was saved by Cumbrians' shot-stopper Peter Keen.

It was Proctor's second spot-kick miss of the season and City's fifth in total. They have yet to score from the penalty spot in the whole of the current campaign and also missed one, through Scott McNiven, in the corresponding game against Carlisle last season which also finished 0-0.

Drawing 2-2 after 90 minutes, City did put five past Crewe Alexandra in a Worthington Cup first-round penalty shoot-out but eventually lost out 6-5.

Despite missing out on three points last night, the draw enabled City to climb up to 16th place in Division Three, their highest ranking since the beginning of November 2001.

And while the draw meant City failing to secure a hat-trick of successive wins for the first time this season, it is the first time City have recorded three successive clean sheets for almost two years, since the end of the 1999-2000 season.

"I'm disappointed to say the least we didn't score any because we created chance, after chance after chance," said City boss Terry Dolan.

"Some of it was poor finishing and some of it was bad luck but you don't expect to miss a penalty in the first two minutes and then miss another very good chance just two minutes later.

"We played some decent football but didn't have the finishing touch.

"People can moan as much as they want but there wasn't too much wrong with our performance apart from the end product.

"We created plenty, but we just didn't finish them off. The second half was a little bit more even and we didn't pass the ball as well. We had too many players running with it instead of passing it when on that surface you cannot run with the ball.

"As the game wore on everybody perhaps started thinking the same thing - that we weren't going to score a goal and they might breakaway and get one so from that point of view I'm glad we kept a clean sheet."

Dolan revealed referee John Brandwood apologised at the final whistle for failing to award City a second penalty when Carlisle defender Lee Andrews appeared to handle from Lee Nogan.

"He said he was following the ball," explained the City chief.

With Lee Bullock's season now over, he goes into hospital on Thursday for an ankle operation, and skipper Chris Brass facing his last game on Saturday against Mansfield before he starts a two-match ban, Dolan indicated he could give more youngsters a chance to shine in City's last three outings of the season.

Updated: 11:42 Wednesday, April 10, 2002