York City's self-proclaimed tag as serious promotion challengers is in danger of looking a long way short of the mark.

The Minstermen can argue that they were unlucky to leave Dean Court empty-handed after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat - especially when Lee Nogan had a perfectly good goal chalked off.

But it is results that count in the harsh world of league action and City's recent form does not make pretty reading.

They have now managed just four points from a possible 18 - the 1-0 win over Exeter and the 2-2 draw against Bristol Rovers - and this doesn't take into account their 4-3 defeat against Lincoln City in the LDV Vans Trophy last Tuesday.

And having at one stage been on the brink of topping the division, York are now down in 14th and nine points adrift of leaders Hartlepool - the destination of the Minstermen on Friday.

Bournemouth occupy second spot, six points clear of City, while Kidderminster are in the final automatic promotion place four points ahead. The remaining ten places are all very tight - with either an odd point or goal difference seperating the rivals.

But for City to make any inroads they must start to pick up points - starting tomorrow at home to Wrexham and on Friday away to Hartlepool.

Failure - a word chairman John Batchelor will not want to hear - would give City a mountain to climb for the rest of the season.

The City management team know that even if the table won't show any record of the club's efforts, there are encouraging signs from on the field.

But if thereis to be a turn around in fortunes, City must learn to take their chances.

With the defence, much criticised on Tuesday night, looking more assured, the platform was there for the Minstermen to build on. But again City lacked that killer touch up-front.

Jon Parkin was guilty of the miss of the match - with the giant striker handed a golden chance to open the scoring after just eight minutes. Peter Duffield found Watford loanee Lee Cook who delivered the perfect curling ball for Parkin to take in his stride on the edge of the box.

But, with the goal at his mercy, Parkin drove wide of Neil Moss's left-hand post.

Parkin did go some way to redeeming the error when, showing why he has also played centre-half this season, he cleared Steve Fletcher's header off the line.

It was the Cook-Parkin combination again that almost saw the deadlock broken after 25 minutes. Tricky winger-cum-forward Cook again found Parkin with a pin-point delivery, but the ex-Barnsley trainee saw his header clawed wide by Moss.

The Cherries were beginning to find their feet and began to test the City defence with their 'party piece' move. The home side would pass the ball around the midfield before sending a hanging ball into the back post for Fletcher to head down into the danger area.

The return of Gary Hobson and the tenacity of skipper Chris Brass helped keep the threat to a minimum, but twice in a dangerous spell towards the end of the half Fletcher found his namesake Carl, but Bournemouth's on-the-field captain first forced Alan Fettis into a brilliant reaction save and then, when Danny Thomas had missed the initial knock down, he dragged his effort wide.

The half ended with a flurry as Cook stabbed wide when through on Moss and then Parkin stumbled over the ball in a similar position, while Wade Elliott blazed the ball over the City bar.

But while City had almost matched Bournemouth effort for effort in the first half, they were forced on to the back foot for the second.

James Hayter went close after good work from Marcus Browning and Thomas, while Graham Potter managed to just get his head infront of Fletcher from a Stephen Purches cross.

Cook did go close with a delightful 35-yard effort which Moss had to tip over, but any hope the shot would spark a City spell of pressure were severely dented after 77 minutes.

The visitors, hampered by the loss of Hobson through a reoccurance of a groin injury, seemed as if they were still trying to reorganise as Hayter launched the ball into the box.

Chris Smith desperately tried to get to it, but Fletcher, back in the starting line-up after 11 months out through a career-threatening injury, rose higher to send a looping header over Fettis.

With the game to chase, City threw on Nogan and within four minutes of coming on the one-time Welsh international had nipped in to finish a fantastic attacking move.

Parkin did the hard yards as he cut across the edge of the box, leaving four defenders in his wake, before finding Leigh Wood, who flicked the ball out to Potter. The inswinging ball across the face on the goal was just perfect for Nogan to scramble home, only for the linesman to flag offside for a somewhat harsh decision.

The chance had gone and so had City's hopes of the points and closing the gap on the promotion chasers.

Fact file:

Bournemouth: Moss, Young (Ridgewell 74min), Purches, Browning, Broadhurst, Stock, Elliott (O'Connor 63min), C Fletcher, Thomas (Feeney 63min), S Fletcher, Hayter. Subs (not used), Tardiff, Bernard. Bookings: None Sent off: None

Goal: S Fletcher (77min)

York City: Fettis 7, Smith 6, Brass 8, Hobson 6 (Okoli 74min, 5), Jones 6, Potter 7, Wood 6, Bullock 6, Cook 7, Duffield 6 (Nogan 80min 6), Parkin 5. Subs (not used), Howarth, Wilding, Mathie. Bookings: None Sent off: None.

Goals: None.

Referee: Grant Hegley (Bishops Stortford)

Attendance: 5,755

Man of the match: Chris Brass - Another all-action display from the skipper. Tenancious in the tackle and willing in attack

Updated: 11:35 Monday, October 28, 2002