MANAGER Terry Dolan saluted York City's defensive wall after the Minstermen's scoreless stalemate with Rushden and Diamonds.

Although City missed out on three home points, the draw extended City's unbeaten record at Bootham Crescent to nine games.

The City manager admitted his side's attacking play struggled to reach the standards of earlier showings this season.

But Dolan was more than satisfied with his team's defensive resolve - most notably his three centre-backs of Chris Smith, Chris Brass and Gary Hobson.

"From an attacking point, if I was being super critical we weren't as sharp as we have been," he conceded.

"Defensively, we coped with two very awkward strikers in Lowe and Darby, so that was pleasing.

"All of the back three did very well and stood up to them.

"That gives us a basis to work from and you are not going to have your strikers firing all the time.

"When a game is like it was, it is important you stay strong and I think a draw was a fair reflection on how the game went."

Dolan maintained City had proved themselves at least equal to the visitors, who arrived at Bootham Crescent top of the Division Three table.

And that, he said, must augur well for the rest of the season.

"I think it was a good, even game and every point is a good point," he explained.

"We are up near the top and we have to make sure we keep picking up points on a regular basis so we stay there.

"Rushden showed a lot of people why I've said they are good, strong and organised.

"In their last away game they got turned over 4-1 so it was always going to be the case that they wouldn't want that to happen again.

"They would have worked on a lot things because of that and they will have made sure they were solid, which they were.

"But there was not much to chose between the two teams.

"If there's not much to chose between the two teams at the end of the season then I think we might be up at the right end of the table."

With Jon Parkin ruled-out for the second match running with a calf strain, Dolan reverted back to a three-pronged attack by handing Alex Mathie his first start of the season.

"That was Alex's first run out in the first team this season and I thought he did quite well to be fair," said the City boss.

"The problem is that the three strikers we played are all very similar.

"Rogerio is going through a spell in training at the moment where he has hit something of a brick wall so we didn't want to start with him.

"It is too much to go with Levent (Yalcin) from the start so that's why we went with Alex.

"He tired towards the end but that is to be expected given that it was his first start for the first team this season."

Updated: 09:07 Monday, September 16, 2002