Continued improvement but scant consolation for York City at Bloomfield Road.

City carried on from where they left off against Chesterfield in midweek to maintain their upward curve in terms of performance against hosts Blackpool.

But just as against the Spireites, it counted for nothing and the hope generated by another improved display is still outweighed by concern for the lack of goals and, more worrying still, lack of points garnered since the new year.

There is little comfort to be had when your team's statistics make such painful reading; six games, six defeats and one goal scored.

But truly, City have played a lot worse than this and got a profitable result.

Indeed, for long periods of the match, especially in the first half, City, surprisingly composed for a side sweating at the wrong end of the table, were the better team.

But they paid the ultimate price for failing to turn good possession and promising positions into genuine sights of goal.

For while custodian Alan Fettis had very little to do other than one save in the first half and then pick the ball from the back of the net in the second neither did his opposite number, Phil Barnes, have much to do in the Blackpool goal.

City's attacking play had perhaps been sacrificed for defensive resolve and certainly the Minstermen no longer look like a side that will concede at every opposition attack.

In many ways, on Saturday they resembled the side put together at the end of last season.

They are no great shakes going forward but are getting bodies behind the ball and also cutting out the errors that have dogged them so much in this campaign.

But when goals are hard to come by it remains a high-risk policy - banking on a clean sheet to bank a point - and it is difficult to see where a goal is going to come from to get City's nose in front.

Just to add salt into the wounds, Blackpool's second-half winner was not without controversy.

It certainly looked more a case of ball hitting hand rather than hand hitting ball when Mark Sertori made contact with Brian Reid's centre.

But referee Brian Curson awarded a free-kick on the edge of the City area.

To make matters worse, Neville Stamp, the last City defender standing on the edge of the wall was not so much nudged out of the way as bulldozed by Blackpool's John Hills before Richard Wellens smacked the ball through the resultant gap.

Fettis got a hand to the ball but could only push it up into the roof of the net.

It certainly changed the atmosphere at Bloomfield from one of frustration for the home crowd to joyous relief.

For only the super-critical could have failed to have been heartened by a solid first-half showing from the Minstermen that had seen Blackpool depart at half-time to grumblings of discontent.

City rarely looked troubled in those opening 45 minutes and despite being more functional than flowing it was fair to say the Minstermen had warranted pole position for the start of the second.

David McNiven forced Barnes into action after less than three minutes with a low shot. A looping Mark Sertori header just lacked enough height to seriously concern the Seasiders' 'keeper, while McNiven was unfortunate to have the ball bobble up on to his knee with just Barnes to beat.

With Blackpool upping the tempo after the break, the second-half became more a test of endurance and concentration for City.

Having weathered the early storm, City had perhaps the best chance to break the deadlock before the Seasiders finally did.

McNiven picked up the ball out wide on the right and with little support was forced to go it alone.

He did the hard bit, skipping past three challenges, but his shot lacked power and made for a comfortable save for Barnes.

It was all too predictable then that Blackpool should get their goal not long after and the writing was on the wall.

Having put all their eggs in one basket to eke out a point City were suddenly left having to try and claw back a result.

Young Scott Emmerson was pushed on for his debut to add his considerable pace to the City attack and looked to have secured a penalty when he was bundled over by Reid.

Curson decreed it a free-kick though and Steve Agnew couldn't match the power nor accuracy of Wellens, chipping the ball over the wall, but also the bar, and with it City's last hope of claiming a point.

Updated: 11:55 Monday, January 29, 2001