Three defeats in three different competitions and three games without a goal. It doesn't take a genius to work out confidence is low at York City.

The optimism generated by City's mini-FA Cup run has rapidly evaporated and on current form there's not much to look forward to other than a hard slog for the remainder of the season.

In such a climate, results will count more than performances but it was certainly a better City show than they produced in the 4-0 trouncing by Darlington midweek, although it could hardly have been worse than that meek surrender.

Admittedly they had the famous Underhill slope aiding them in the first half but for most of the opening 45 minutes they were bright and breezy without playing with any great conviction or energy.

It is difficult to be objective about the first-half performance in particular - in the second-half they played like a side with the weight of the world on their shoulders - after City conceded their regular early goal.

City may as well start the match 1-0 down because it is almost guaranteed to happen within the first third of a game nowadays.

At least by going a goal down after just five minutes it gave them more time to grab an equaliser.

Not that it mattered. A shot-shy City could have played for another 90 minutes and you sensed they still wouldn't have scored.

Confidence, or lack of it, is certainly a factor but so is that indefinable 'spark' to lift them out of such ordinariness.

This City side has the potential to be highly-effective and could, if they eradicate costly lapses of concentration, at least grind out results as they did at the end of last season.

But as long as they struggle to get in behind teams they are never going to tear sides apart.

And while they insist on shooting themselves in the foot even grim but welcome 1-0 victories are going to be hard to find.

Tony Cottee's side are no world-beaters and so it was all the more frustrating that Barnet didn't even have to work particularly hard for their goals.

Their first was particularly disappointing.

Wayne Hall seemed prepared to let the ball run out for a throw but as he dallied Darren Currie nipped in, charged down the line and delivered a deep cross to the far post. Alan Fettis came to claim but perhaps losing the ball in the sun, failed, and while Matt Hocking stood motionless Tony Richards was able to steal in between them both and nod the ball home.

It could have been worse just minutes later when Richards headed Lee Flynn's deflected cross against the bar with Fettis beaten.

And yet after such a disastrous start City gradually were able to establish at least a foothold in the match.

Indeed after that early flurry and a Cottee header right at the death of the first half it is hard to recall Fettis touching the ball.

For the remainder of the half City were sharp in the tackle, defended tidily and although chances were not exactly flowing they at least created a handful of promising moves.

Chris Iwelumo was unlucky to see his volley take a deflection wide before chesting the ball down to Alex Mathie, who slammed a low drive straight at Lee Harrison in the Barnet goal.

Just as hopes were raised disaster struck when Kevin Hulme had to be carried from the field.

Ironically, it followed one of City's best moves. Hulme delivered the ball into a channel for Mathie to chase.

The frontman cut the ball back for Iwelumo who dummied the ball for Hulme. As the midfielder shot Warren Goodhind came across to block both ball and Hulme, who was left clutching his knee.

Hulme's departure took the wind out of City's half-raised sails somewhat and so too the match as less than five minutes later the stretcher was in use again, this time carrying Barnet goalkeeper Lee Harrison from the field after he collided with Sertori.

If the first-half, the goal aside, had given some fleeting cause for City optimism it served only to make the second-half showing even more disappointing.

Currie set the tone with a clever drop of the shoulder and stiff drive that had Fettis at full stretch before Goodhind pulled a good chance wide after being fed the ball from the impressive Stockley.

Chasing the game, Terry Dolan withdrew Mathie for top-scorer David McNiven but almost immediately Barnet went 2-0 up to snuff out any hopes of City salvaging something.

Alcide carried the ball out of the defence but lost possession on the half-way line and Barnet skipper Greg Heald wasted no time in putting the ball back into the space vacated by the City defender.

With not a City player in sight Cottee was able to close in on Fettis and slot the ball into the far corner with an assured finish.

If Barnet hadn't enjoyed much possession in the first-half they certainly made up for it in the second as City, now thoroughly dispirited, all but disappeared.

Darren Patterson was unlucky to see his header from Steve Agnew's corner hacked off the line before another centre-back, Alcide, finally gave the City fans something to get excited about.

He strode forward from deep within his own half before unleashing a 30-yard piledriver that substitute goalkeeper Danny Naisbitt acrobatically tipped over the bar.

The fact it was two defenders that came close to breaking City's barren run in front of goal is confirmation, if it were needed, that these are troubling times for the Minstermen.

Barnet 2, York City 0

Scorers: Richards 5 minutes, Cottee 63 minutes. York: No scorers

York City: Alan Fettis 6, Matt Hocking 7 (James Turley 81mins), Colin Alcide 7, Mark Bower 7, Darren Patterson 7, Wayne Hall 4, Kevin Hulme 6 (Christian Fox 31mins, 4), Steve Agnew 5, Alex Mathie 4 (David McNiven 59mins, 5), Chris Iwelumo 4, Mark Sertori 7. Subs not used: Russ Howarth, Neville Stamp. Bookings: Sertori 70mins (foul) Sent-off: None

BARNET: Lee Harrison (Danny Naisbitt 36mins), Sam Stockley, Lee Flynn, Greg Heald, Mark Arber, Mike Basham, Warren Goodhind (Rob Sawyers 88mins), Leon Bell, Tony Cottee (Danny Brown 82mins), Tony Richards, Darren Currie

Subs not used: Lee Gledhill, Wayne Purser Goals: Richards 5mins, Cottee 63mins

Bookings: None Sent-off: None

Man of match: Mark Sertori: On a day when again too many City players under-performed at least he gave his all, won his share of headers and generally made himself a nuisance.

Attendance: 2,731

Referee: Alan Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield)

Updated: 12:21 Monday, January 15, 2001