Mimms the only bright light in darkening sky

BRAVE BOB: City goalkeeper Bobby Mimms bravely grabs the ball from Swansea's Jonathon Coates as skipper Chris Fairclough covers

Look and learn. If ever Neil Thompson needed proof of his frequent reasoning that in the grim reality that is Division Three a successful team relies on a big target man, a terrier like midfield built on a solid, resolute defensive foundation then this was it.

City, in the second-half in particular, were poor. The win apart there were no excuses and none forthcoming from the City boss.

But credit to Swansea, now unbeaten in their last six league games and firmly in the play-off reckoning, for not allowing York to play.

Thompson has called on his side to impose themselves on their opponents and this they did... for all of ten minutes.

Then it was pretty much all Swansea, who stamped their authority, rolled forward and squashed City underfoot.

When the Minstermen did try to bring the ball down and play some football they were simply not allowed by an 'in-yer-face' Swans midfield that harried and chased and ensured City's infrequent openings were nothing more than snatched chances.

Yet things had certainly started brightly for City, welcomed to Wales by a swirling wind rolling in from the sea.

A minute was still not registered on the clock when Swansea's Matthew Bound played a careless pass to full-back Mike Howard. An alert Christian Fox seized on the chance, advanced into the box and looked to pull the trigger before being crowded out as both Bound and Howard made swift amends.

Swansea were sluggish in those opening exchanges and it augured well for City who camped themselves in their opponents half.

But gradually the Swans stretched their wings and started to push City back, deeper and deeper into the final third.

A Jonathon Coates corner was headed back across the City goal at the second attempt by the towering Julian Alsop, the striker at the hub of Swansea's forward thinking, and the ball dropped at the foot of Jason Smith.

The centre-back seemed stunned by his luck and as he waited for the ball to drop with the goal gaping Chris Fairclough flung himself forward to make an acrobatic clearance.

Swansea should have scored after 17 minutes when Jason Price was put in the clear from former Wrexham striker Steve Watkin's flick standing on the half-way line.

Price, steaming in from the right, carried the ball into the area before lashing his shot across the face of the goal.

On the half hour, Bobby Mimms pulled off the first of a series of fine saves to turn away Watkin's snap shot from six-yards and had to be equally alert on the half-hour to flick Smith's towering header over the bar.

Howard played in a dangerous ball behind the City defence and Mark Sertori allowed the ball to run to Price, arriving late at the far post, but the youngster could only stick out a leg and pushed the chance wide.

As Swansea pressed, Anthony Ormerod launched a swift counter for City. The ball eventually fell to Scott Jordan whose first time shot was deflected upwards. Alcide beat Freestone to the looping ball but headed it over the bar.

City's best chance fell to John Williams, the striker making a return to the ground where he started his career.

A clearance from Fairclough caught Swansea napping and the former postman was suddenly homing in on goal. Williams looked up to find just Swans' 'keeper Roger Freestone barring his path to goal but his attempted curler bent the wrong way and wide.

It wasn't until the final minute of the first half that the Minstermen had their first shot on target but another Jordan snap shot from a poor Swansea clearance on the edge of the box was comfortably clutched by Freestone despite a deflection.

A stifling City had given little for their travelling contingent to cheer but looked good value for a point at half-time.

Swansea, however, clearly had other ideas and launched a devastating blitzkreig that eventually reaped its reward.

Coates almost swooped on Damian Lacey's deflected effort but Mimms raced from his line to smother before Alsop should have broken the deadlock when he was played in by another clever flick by Watkin but could only slice his volley high and wide.

Something had to give and six minutes into the second-half City were breached.

Steve Jones rolled in the ball behind the City defence, Coates stole in and neatly back-heeled the ball into the path of Price, who stroked it home.

It should have been 2-0 ten minutes later when Alsop this time knocked the ball into the path of Watkin on the edge of six-yard box but his strike partner missed the ball when only the slightest of touches would have sufficed.

City rallied in fits and bursts. Williams saw a 30-yard effort saved by Freestone while Ormerod, shoved to the ground, had appeals for penalty waved away by Ken Leach.

Barry Conlon was brought into the fray at the expense of Kevin Hulme but had little chance to impose himself as Swansea soaked up any City pressure before sweeping forward.

Fox saw another 25-yard effort drift wide before Mimms pulled off another fine stop to deny Alsop from just eight yards.

At the death, Williams had a chance to snatch a point with an attempted lob over Freestone but scuffed his weak effort wide. York's woe was complete.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.