YORK City boss Chris Brass knows he cannot afford "two or three performances in a row" like Saturday's dismal 3-0 home defeat against Hereford.

The Minstermen's player-manager admitted that the club's current league position of 16th will need to improve in the next month to avoid his role at the club being placed in jeopardy.

Brass' team were booed off the pitch at the weekend and it was revealed at last night's fans' forum that his future was being assessed by the board.

City's boss, who attended a board meeting yesterday afternoon, believes a change in manager after just three games of the new campaign would be a "knee jerk reaction".

He said: "If I was to start panicking this early in the season then we would be trouble. I am hoping Saturday's performance will prove to be a blip.

"If that level of display continued and we got two or three performances in a row like that then something's obviously wrong but I thinks it's been a case of Jekyll and Hyde so far. Last Tuesday's 2-0 win against Tamworth was a fantastic performance but you would not believe it was the same team that played on Saturday.

"Last season after four straight victories there were people thinking we were going to walk away with the league. This season we have got three points from three games. I am not happy with that but, at the end of the exercise, we have still got points on the board.

"If we hadn't got any or, six or ten games in, we were still lying in what I believe, at the moment, is a false position, then you have got to look at it."

Brass admitted that the most painful aspect of Saturday's defeat was performing so poorly in front of the club's loyal supporters and realises that it will take time to restore their confidence in his team.

He said: "The players know they let themselves down, myself down, the club down but, ultimately, we have let the fans down who turn up week in, week out and that frustrates you because they got let down a lot last season and that hurt me more than anything. I did not want to let anybody down this season.

"It was never going to be easy and we have not made any claims that we are going to take the league by storm but we certainly want to give a good account of ourselves and continue to make progress. Saturday was a kick in the teeth and we might have to take that step backwards and realise we are not the finished article after one good performance.

"We have got to reach a level of consistency because, with that, comes confidence not only in the team but in the crowd. In order for them to trust the team we have got to get results and performances.

City fans have their say - Page 23

Updated: 10:47 Friday, August 27, 2004