York were left ruing missed chances in the first half as they were held to a dire goalless draw away to struggling Southend.

Chris Smith had a header palmed onto the bar by Shrimpers goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan, while David Merris struck the post in a first half which saw City dominate for large spells.

York had much of the possession, with loanee Justin Walker impressing in midfield, but failed to create many clear-cut opportunities.

The second half was a different story however, with the home side passing the ball around with some flowing moves, though never really testing York 'keeper Mark Ovendale.

Substitute Lev Yalcin looked lively and forced Flahavan into a decent save five minutes from the end, but York's ongoing search for a decent striking partnership looks set to continue with a goal always looking unlikely.


Ovendale: 7 – solid performance from the reliable keeper – did what he had to do, but wasn’t really challenged.

Edmonson: 6 – Didn’t have much opportunity to get forward but an assured defensive performance.

Merris: 6 – promising start, but was increasingly exposed down the left flank in the second half.

Hope: 5 – beaten in the air on many occasions, and was reluctant to clear the ball when needed.

Brass: 5 – Another disappointing performance from the player/manager, and resorted to hit-and-hope long ball tactics late on.

Smith: 6 – Looked solid in defence, and had a header tipped onto the bar early on.

Dunning: 7 – Decent performance in midfield, with some solid tackles to regain possession.

Ward: 6 - Quiet but assured performance.

Walker: 8 – Very good showing: got the ball on the ground and created some useful openings, however lost possession too easily a couple of times.

Bullock: 6 – Obviously not a striker, and was exposed in this position – muscled off the ball easily and didn’t really create a problem for the Southend defence.

Parkin: 5 – Disappointing performance from the man who needed to step up a gear: showed no desire to chance the ball down (or run anywhere) and nearly hit the corner flag with a first half shot. Showed glimpses of his potential as a target man but lost the ball in the air far too many times for a player his size.

Subs:

Nogan (for Parkin) – gave the forward line a much needed breath of fresh air, but still ineffective without the proper strike partner

Fox (for Walker) – replacing the best player on the pitch, Fox disappointed, giving the ball away cheaply

Yalcin (for Bullock) – looked lively with a good effort saved. Should probably get a chance in the first team from the start.

Report by Alf

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