YORK City boss Billy McEwan will be glad to see the back of a Black November for his team.

Three defeats and one draw during the last four weeks have seen City slip off the play-off pace and exit the FA Cup.

In a month that always starts with fireworks, City have lost their spark and McEwan will be hoping his team can now rediscover the attractive brand of attacking football that lifted them up to second place in the table at the end of October.

The fact that City have gone a full calendar month without scoring for only the second time in the club's history will be the biggest concern for the focussed Scotsman, having seen his side find the net 13 times in both September and October.

Ten years ago, in December 1995, Alan Little's Minstermen, conquerors of Manchester United just weeks earlier, suffered the same fate although their barren month only contained three matches.

A team boasting Paul Barnes, who would go on to net 21 goals that season, failed to find the net in consecutive matches against Walsall (0-2), Hull City (0-1) and Bradford City (0-3).

City's last four games have seen defeats to Grays (0-3), Burton Albion (0-1) and Morecambe (0-2) and a 0-0 draw against Kidderminster.

The Minstermen are, however, three matches short of equalling the club record for successive matches without a goal.

Tom Johnston's 1972/73 side currently own that unenviable statistic, having fired blanks in seven matches between August 28 and September 26 of that season.

Left-winger Richie Taylor's goal at Notts County was followed by empty scoresheets against Rotherham (0-1), Charlton (0-1), Bournemouth (0-0), Tranmere (0-1), Watford (0-0), Oldham (0-0), and Shrewsbury (0-1) before Dennis Wann ended the drought in a 3-1 defeat at Wrexham.

That season, which saw City finish 18th in the old Third Division, saw Eddie Rowles top the club's scoring charts with just nine goals.

Mickey Cave (eight) in 1975-76 and Lee Nogan (nine) in 2003/04 are the only other two City players to finish the season as leading marksman with a single-figure tally.

City's current shot-shy sequence, however, is still one match adrift of McEwan's worst run as manager at KitKat Crescent.

That came at the end of last season when McEwan, growing increasingly exasperated with his inherited team, looked on as City missed the

target against Gravesend (0-0), Hereford (0-2), Carlisle (0-6), Dagenham (0-0) and Canvey Island (0-4) before wrapping up their depressing 2004/05 campaign with a 4-0 victory over already-relegated Farnborough.

Only one team in the club's history, other than Johnston's shot-shy '70s outfit, have waited more games to score a goal.

That came in 1990-91 when City made their worst goalscoring start to a season, failing to find the net in their opening six matches under John Bird, who, by October, had been replaced by John Ward.

Instead of reflecting on the club's sorry run in front of goal, City fans Alistair Bell, of Stoneriggs, Stockton-on-Forest, and K Dent, of Ings Close, Barlby, will be able to relive the first free-scoring, three months of the season when the Minstermen were hitting the target for fun.

Both supporters won our competition to win the 'Season 2005/2006 highlights: Part One' DVD by correctly naming Joe O'Neill as the scorer of City's first goal of the season.

The 80-minute long DVD is currently on sale at the club shop for £10 with all profits going to the football club.

The next Pocklington Minstermen meeting will take place on Thursday, starting at 7.30pm in the United Services Club.

A raffle and a quiz will be held with prizes including a navvies breakfast.

City boss Billy McEwan has also agreed to attend the Pocklington Minstermen meeting on Thursday, January 12, which will take place at the same venue at the same time.

NEW boys Terry Barwick and Evan Horwood went straight on to the Evening Press Player of the Year and Player of the Month leaderboards after making their debuts at Morecambe.

The on-loan pair were our highest-rated players in the 2-0 defeat with Grimsby midfielder Barwick picking up three points towards each competition after being named man of the match.

Sheffield United left-back Horwood also collected two points, and a third loan signing - David McGurk - received the remaining point.

Leo Bertos and Clayton Donaldson won a point each towards the final Player of the Month standings having shared the votes in our readers' poll for top man.

Latest Evening Press Player of the Year standings: Donaldson 22, McGurk 21, Bishop 14, Merris 13, Dunning 12, Convery 11, Dudgeon 5, O'Neill 5, Price 5, Barwick 3, Peat 3, Horwood 2, Panther 2, Porter 2, Hotte 1.

Evening Press Player of the Month for November standings (based on Evening Press ratings and including two points per game for the player who polls most man of the match votes from our readers): Merris 13, Barwick 3, Donaldson 3, McGurk 3, Price 3, Convery 2, Horwood 2, Bertos 1, Dunning 1, O'Neill 1.

STATS ATTACK

Goals: Bishop 10, Donaldson 9, Convery 4, O'Neill 4, Dudgeon 3, Stewart 2, Own Goal 1.

Goal assists: Donaldson 8, Bishop 6, Convery 6, Dunning 5, O'Neill 2, Mansaram 1, McGurk 1, Merris 1, Panther 1, Peat 1, Stewart 1.

Bad boys: Bishop four yellows, Dudgeon, Price both three yellows; Convery, Donaldson, Dunning all two yellows; Hotte one red; Andrews, Horwood, Mansaram, McGurk, Merris, O'Neill, Palmer, Peat all one yellow.

Updated: 09:03 Saturday, December 03, 2005