York City boss Terry Dolan admits he has no fresh aces up his sleeve for tomorrow's trip to Lincoln City after his mix and match Minstermen suffered their fifth defeat in six games losing 1-0 at Southend United.

"There'll be nobody coming back who hadn't been available so we have just got to knuckle down," confessed Dolan, who was without nine first team players on Saturday due to injury and suspension.

Such is the absentee list that Dolan was forced to play striker Colin Alcide in a back four that showed three changes to the one that defeated Mansfield a week earlier.

And yet for all their off-field problems the Minstermen were left lamenting missed opportunities that denied them a deserved share of the spoils at least.

It was a welcome return home for Southend's new manager, David Webb, in his first game in charge at Roots Hall since replacing sacked former City boss Alan Little.

But even Webb admitted his side had been fortunate to claim all three points.

"On the football front we were second but on the winning front we were first," he said.

A disappointed Dolan said: "We had enough chances to have got something out of the game.

"Certainly in the second-half we had enough possession but we didn't put our chances away and if you don't put them away you are going to suffer."

The City boss said he was pleased with the showing of his defence and Alcide, even though the striker-cum-defender was at fault for Trevor Fitzpatrick's winning strike.

"He could have been stronger and got pushed off the ball too easily but apart from Alan Fettis having to make one fantastic save early in the second-half they have not created too many problems for us," he said

"We have got a somewhat makeshift back four and so cannot be too unhappy in that respect.

"I thought we started poorly, a bit indecisive for the first 20 minutes.

"But after that I thought we tried to pass the ball around and kept possession quite well and created the chances.

"In the last 20 minutes when we were chasing it we weren't quite clear-cut enough.

"On the 90 minutes there wasn't too much between the teams but if you look at the league table they are probably in the top six and we are in the bottom six so that shows you how strange it can be."

A major plus point for Dolan was the performance of new signing Neville Stamp, who was making his full League debut after signing on a month's contract from Reading.

"I was pleased with him and the game will have done him good," said the City manager.

Former York City and Scarborough centre-back Steve Richards has been appointed manager of UniBond Premier Division bottom club Frickley Athletic.

Richards, 39, succeeds Stewart Barraclough, who resigned after Frickley's record 12-0 defeat by Worksop Town last month.

Richards, who also played for Hull, Lincoln, Cambridge and Halifax before joining Guiseley, where he later became player-manager and was in charge of Gainsborough Trinity last season, beat off the challenge of former Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst for the post.