York City manager Terry Dolan is vowing to treat tomorrow night's crunch clash with Carlisle like any other.

The Cumbrians will arrive at Bootham Crescent buoyed by their 2-1 win over Mansfield on Saturday.

It leaves them still rooted at the foot of the Football League, but they are now just four points behind 22nd-placed City over whom they have two games in hand.

To make matters worse for the Minstermen, who suffered their sixth defeat in a row with a 1-0 reverse at Blackpool, fellow strugglers Exeter City enjoyed a surprise 1-0 win over championship chasing Brighton.

"It is as important as the Blackpool game was following Tuesday's match against Chesterfield and as important as Darlington will be after Tuesday," insisted the City chief.

"They are all very important, but the players have got to take heart from the last two performances in particular.

"The players have nothing to be ashamed of (against Blackpool).

"We are not going to hammer teams 4-0 or 5-0 all of a sudden because we are not that good yet.

"But we have done enough to get something out of the last two games, but unfortunately the results haven't gone our way."

City put in another improved performance against Steve McMahon's play-off chasing Blackpool, but left Bloomfield Road empty handed after Richard Wellens' controversial 73rd-minute strike.

And despite City not adding to their meagre goal tally of just one in 2001, Dolan maintained the Minstermen must look to the positives.

"Any neutral watching would say which team is near the top and which team is near the bottom," he said.

"And that is where we are going to take a lot of credit from it.

"We take credit from Tuesday night when we matched the Division's leaders Chesterfield and we matched Blackpool but we have ended up with no points.

"But as long as we keep battling away then we will pick up points.

"We have got to stick at it. There were some pleasing points from the game and we have to build on that."

Those pleasing points included the debuts of youth-team players Leigh Wood in the centre of midfield and striker Scott Emmerson, who came on as a substitute in the final ten minutes.

Emmerson almost earned City a penalty while the elegant Wood impressed throughout by rarely wasting possession.

"That is why they were brought into the squad," said Dolan.

"They are players for the future and we have not wanted to bring them in to soon, but circumstances have dictated that that has had to happen."

Dolan refused to criticise publicly referee Brian Curson after the match despite the controversy surrounding Wellens' free-kick winner.

"Anything I need to say about the officials will be put in the usual report.

"It is not my style to be critical and I have always said I will not be critical of referees unless I have the perfect team.

"I certainly haven't got the perfect team at the moment so as far as the referee is concerned I will keep those thoughts to myself."

But he insisted Mark Sertori had his back to the ball when it hit his arm and therefore the free-kick should not have been awarded.

"But the most annoying thing was as the free-kick was being taken Neville Stamp was barged out of the way and the ball has gone straight through that gap.

"He was blatantly pushed but the referee didn't see it and so it is a goal."

City reserves were in action this afternoon bolstered by the addition of two trialists from Manchester United.

City's second string, including United youngsters Stephen Cosgrove and George Clegg, were at the Shay taking on Halifax Town in an Avon.

Updated: 11:57 Monday, January 29, 2001