NO-ONE would think an iceberg could sneak up on anything. But it's getting perilously frosty around York City.

The air is beginning to chill and if minds and hearts do not stay alert then an almighty impact is on the horizon.

If that collision does occur then the Minstermen will struggle to escape the vortex that sucks a team into the relegation morass.

Earlier in this campaign, which has veered from enthralling to exasperating, I ventured that whispers could include the word 'promotion'. Now it's a holler and the threat is 'relegation'.

There should be no masking that menace. Before setting off for Wrexham today City had to be alive to the dead hand of the drop pressing heavily on their shoulders.

Now is not the time to be relying on the results of others. Now is not the time to be lulled into the falsest sense of security that one win will do the trick. City need to display the spirit of fighting for their Second Division lives before it is too late.

Such vivacity was far from evident in a calamitous defeat by Bournemouth that left the tea-time air around Bootham Crescent charged with the most dispiriting chorus of chants.

Predictable enough were the 'Little out' and 'what a load of rubbish' litany. Even 'sack the board' got an airing.

But the worst of all was the splenetic accusation from the Shippo to the Minstermen in red that cried 'you're not fit to wear the shirt'.

From salad days of mid-November when a place in the play-off zone was comfortably established they are in the cruellest month of April. Tumble-down now and there's no getting back.

At least over the last two desperate seasons City knew they were in for a fight. But now they do not seem to be aware that they are in danger of being engulfed by that sinking feeling. That's the biggest worry of all.

City are lodged in a rut of poor form that has deteriorated from patchy to threadbare. Such a demise was plain and painful to witness against the Cherries.

The hosts actually started in sprightly, if not bright, manner against opposition who could be forgiven for having more than one eye gazing at next week's first club visit to Wembley for the Auto Windscreens Shield final with Grimsby Town.

Even faced by such moderate opposition, and despite the recalls of defensive lynchpin Tony Barras and striking target-man Neil Tolson, City were far from convincing.

Away from the defence and attack the midfield quartet was somewhat unbalanced. Four central midfielders were deployed in that unit, not one entirely comfortable with width-bringing duties.

But for all that, it was reasonable to expect some guile. Alan Pouton's tenacity to turn and go at defenders, often into cul-de-sacs it must be admitted, was the lone avenue of adventure.

Neither Tolson, nor the tireless Richard Cresswell received a decent pass all afternoon.

In contrast the Cherries' front two of Mark Stein and Jason Brissett were an axis of active nuisance, occupying their markers with bothersome regularity.

The goal that ultimately settled the game took a bizarre route. Jamie Vincent's low free-kick squirted off Tolson to deceive the entire back-line, allowing John O'Neill to poach a crisp finish under the advancing Andy Warrington.

The goalkeeper's reflexes then thwarted any advance in the visitors' advantage, City only surfacing as an attacking force of any vibrancy in a ten-minute spell before and after the arrival of Wayne Hall as a substitute for the hapless Scott Jordan.

A Barras header was gloved away at the last second by Jimmy Glass, a similar effort from Mark Tinkler rattled the crossbar and Pouton had two shots saved.

Those chances constituted enough to win the game for City. But they did not accurately reflect the dire nature of the performance and even more sickening was an apparent lack of urgency, of bite, of snap, of passion.

City need to rediscover their desire and quickly. Fire in the belly is what is needed now.

Entering the daunting arena of the Racecourse Ground against play-off pursuing Wrexham today City had won just four of their last 25 games.

Including Wrexham, they have only four games left. The shadow of the iceberg is lengthening.

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