Frustration rather than disappointment was the overriding emotion after York City's miserable away form continued at Plymouth Argyle.

Flowing football was always going to be a tall order on a heavy Home Park pitch that was still being sanded right up to kick-off.

But City, for the most part, were not far removed from the energetic side that had Reading reeling just seven days earlier and, given the circumstances, their approach play and attitude could not be faulted.

On this evidence, although City's League standing makes painful reading their stock will surely rise before too long.

It was a shame that the Minstermen's finishing on Saturday was so sorry.

Around 20 shots but only four on target is a telling statistic. Not only does it underscore that City's goalscoring boots, so polished in recent outings, were left in North Yorkshire, but it underlined just how dominant City were.

That York had ten corners compared to the home side's paltry two added weight to the argument.

Plymouth, a lively 20 minutes at the start aside, created very little and it is hard to recall Alan Fettis having a serious save to make for nigh on 60 minutes.

Had City not gone behind then a welcome away point would have been almost guaranteed and the fact the decisive strike came so early and so fortuitously merely compounded the frustration.

Three minutes were still not on the clock when Kevin Hulme upended the waspish Paul McGregor some 30 yards from goal.

Fettis seemed to have Craig Taylor's stiffly driven free-kick well covered until the ball hit a divot and bobbled up and over the outstretched hand of the City 'keeper.

A disastrous start for City could have been worse as Plymouth threatened to continue City's shocking habit of conceding goals barely minutes apart.

Colin Alcide, who turned in another useful performance at centre-back, made a number of telling headers to clear crosses from the left and right and produced a superbly timed tackle to rob McGregor of a goalscoring opportunity before the former Nottingham Forest striker skewed a shot across the face of the goal from Wayne O'Sullivan's pull-back.

Fettis blocked bravely Paul Wotton's blast after Plymouth were awarded a free-kick pretty much on the City penalty spot after Mark Sertori's challenge on Sean McCarthy was deemed obstruction.

Ever-so gradually, though and City started to show glimmers as an attacking force while defensively socks were pulled up.

Crucially, a previously stretched City, struggling to get to terms with a quagmire of a surface, became more compact so that the three-pronged strikeforce of David McNiven, Chris Iwelumo and Alex Mathie were not so isolated.

It meant if attacks floundered wing backs Graham Potter and Darren Edmonsdon and midfielders Steve Agnew and Kevin Hulme were on hand to pick up the pieces.

With Plymouth now wobbling, McNiven's snap shot was well-saved by Jon Sheffield before Hulme shot wide and then just failed to reach Iwelumo's headed knock-back with the goal at his mercy.

Agnew blazed over from an acute angle before Potter came closest to levelling matters with a volley that flashed past the post to end a succession of City corners and brought the first half to a close, much to the relief of an under siege Plymouth.

City continued to set the pace and agenda after the break although Plymouth had their moments - Martin Phillips blazing over after a swift break and clever ball from Brian McGlinchey was perhaps the nearest the Pilgrims came to adding to their tally.

But Argyle were more like the away side playing for a smash and grab on foreign soil as City encamped in their half.

Mathie swivelled but volleyed over Edmondson's cross, Agnew skied a free-kick, moved forward into the Plymouth penalty area after a bout of dissent from McGlinchey, over the bar before McNiven pulled his shot horribly from just eight yards out.

When City did hit the target they found Plymouth keeper Sheffield a formidable barrier.

Substitute Darren Patterson must have thought he had forced an equaliser with his first touch in a City shirt but his flying header was brilliantly saved by Sheffield.

He went close again with his second from the resultant corner but this time, with Sheffield seemingly beaten, the ball just cleared the bar.

On 66 minutes, City's cause received a shot in the arm when Plymouth were reduced to ten men.

O'Sullivan and Hulme tangled in midfield and as both players got to their feet the Plymouth man aimed a sly kick at Hulme.

It missed but referee Michael Jones spotted the intent and O'Sullivan had to go.

O'Sullivan's dismissal did little to knock City from their stride but nor did it bring them any added luck or accuracy in front of goal as Mathie, Hulme, Iwelumo and Potter all went close.

In the closing minutes, Sertori was pushed up front and looked to have earned City a penalty when he was shoved in the back by Mick Heathcote.

Unfortunately for City, Jones failed to see that indiscretion and if it hadn't been realised already, it was now glaringly obvious this just wasn't going to be City's day.

dave.stanford@ycp.co.uk