FEET first is the only way forward for under-achieving York City, according to new striker Alex Mathie.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Hartlepool United was the Minstermen's fourth in succession and leaves them just one point off the foot of the Football League.

Mathie, who despite failing to find the back of the net made an eye-catching debut, believes confidence to bring the ball down and play remains City's best hope of turning results around.

The former Ipswich Town and Newcastle United ace said: "We are all disappointed and know we can play better.

"Hopefully, we can get the ball down and pass it a lot better.

"We launched the ball a lot, particularly in the second-half.

"I thought first-half we passed it about but nobody really wanted to take the ball.

"That is what we have got to get back into the side; passing the ball.

"We dominated proceedings in the second-half but never really created a lot to be fair."

Mathie, signed on a free by the Minstermen after being released by Dundee United, insisted his strengths lay when the ball was played on the ground.

"I am not a target man," he said. "It has got to be played into feet or into the channels, which we managed to do a couple of times in the second-half.

"We just need to do it more often."

Mathie perhaps had City's best chance of finding the net just 13 minutes into his debut.

But his dogged determination to squeeze through the United defence was denied its rewards by some alert goalkeeping by Hartlepool shot-stopper Anthony Williams.

"I was stretching for it and just toe-poked it. If it had gone in it may have been a different game," he said.

"I need a couple of games definitely to get back to match fitness but it will come."

City's woes were increased just ten minutes from time when centre-back Mark Sertori received a red card for a challenge on Hartlepool's goalscorer Kevin Henderson.

It was the second successive red card brandished at a City player after Darren Edmondson was sent-off against Brighton a week earlier.

Sertori protested his innocence after the game, claiming he had won the ball but he now faces a suspension.

And he insists City will come good sooner rather than later.

"If we were playing really poorly then we would have a problem, but we aren't," he said.

"We are having most of the possession in games, that is the most annoying thing.

"We are looking forward, are confident, but the results aren't going our way and we are not getting any luck at all.

"We have made silly mistakes this year where we have pressed the self-destruct button and it has cost us.

"But we will keep going, working hard in training and will look forward to Friday night and Mansfield where we will be looking to put it right."

dave.stanford@ycp.co.uk