CITY 0 PLYMOUTH 0

THE pre-rehearsed team applause to the Valley Parade audience before kick-off could not mask the nervous tension.

As the players finished their warm-up, they turned as one and clapped towards the Kop.

It was a nice gesture sending out a universal message that the Fleetwood frustration had been put behind everyone.

City v Plymouth player ratings and game guide

But the genuine fear of what could await City remains.

It was in the subdued feeling among the crowd ahead of the game; it was plastered all over social media after it.

Mind you, Twitter might have scared the life out of a few non-attendees if they had spotted the message broadcast by the EFL’s official League One feed just before half-time.

The tweet wondered if the Bantams “could fight their way back into the match” after going behind! Hastily-deleted within minutes, you just hoped there was no expert crystal ball-gazer among the league’s communication ranks.

If there was going to be a goal on Saturday, it would surely have come at the other end where Plymouth’s Kyle Letheren did his best to honour the memory of Gordon Banks.

Every match at the weekend had been preceded with a minute’s applause for the late goalkeeping great – City also rightly remembering Mick Kennedy as well – so maybe it was appropriate that there should be two clean sheets to follow.

Letheren had to work considerably harder in earning his than Richard O’Donnell as the hosts launched a second-half onslaught towards the Kop.

The best save was not quite in the Banks and Pele bracket but certainly earned his corn, stretching to finger-tip Eoin Doyle’s firm header over the bar.

Letheren modestly played it down later as a save “for the cameras” after revealing that he had slipped at the precise moment the striker had met the cross from Paul Caddis.

But it was as close as it got for City to end their dry February as they were left to curse a third successive blank of the month.

The absence of a goalscorer among their transfer window recruits looms larger with each week.

In truth, City could not have done much more to break Plymouth’s resistance and the fans raucously appreciated the effort after the break.

David Hopkin remarked that the roof would have been blown off Valley Parade if David Ball had repeated his stoppage-time heroics of the Shrewsbury win.

But as he chested the ball down in the box and the stadium prepared to rejoice, Letheren was straight on him and in his face. That panicked Ball into squaring it instead of shooting and allowed defender Niall Canavan to make a point-saving intervention before George Miller could tap in.

So, the lid stayed on the Kop and City were consigned to another week below the dreaded relegation line.

At least there was the consolation of another round of fairly friendly scores elsewhere - Gillingham were the only winners among the struggling bunch. With the draw, the gap to the mystical fifth from bottom was reduced to a tantalising goal difference.

But the fast-approaching March fixture list presents some sturdy hurdles to clear, including a midweek visit from the division’s runaway train Luton.

Before that, they face a potential date with destiny at Walsall.

Naturally every game at this stage assumes greater importance but next Saturday’s visit to the free-falling Saddlers is bigger than most.

Walsall have lost seven out of eight, including the last five, and have not won at home since December 8.

City would go a point ahead of them with victory on the road; given the challenges to come, you would suggest Hopkin’s men cannot settle for anything less.

They will feel they should have had their noses in front already following an all-round solid display against a Plymouth side who continue to inch their way clear of the frenzied picture at the foot of League One.

Derek Adams made the long trek back to the west country with the result he would have taken before a ball was kicked. But Plymouth’s approach was far from the negative, fun-smothering exploits demonstrated by Fleetwood.

Their front four of Freddie Ladapa, Graham Carey, Ruben Lameiras and Antoni Sarcevic are a handful for any defence.

And while the bobbly unpredictable nature of the Valley Parade pitch negated the effect of the flair players, City’s back four showed no signs of switching off in the calamitous way that had cost them so dear the previous week.

Paul Caddis maintained his own personal high bar with another strong and composed presence at both ends of the pitch.

While his defensive concentration remained high, he also posed a threat going forward and tested Letheren himself with a snap shot as well as nearly bagging an assist for Doyle.

And Adam Chicksen was not far behind him for productivity on City’s left. The full back comes in for a fair amount of stick but there was little to criticise from an afternoon when he generally kept a tight rein on the elusive Carey.

Only once did the Irishman get away, cutting in on his left foot before driving past O’Donnell and against the foot of the post.

Otherwise, City’s backline did its job in keeping Plymouth at bay and laying the platform for what should have been a victory Parade.

Billy Clarke’s inclusion at the expense of Hope Akpan, starting on the left of the attacking three behind Doyle, meant Hopkin had rammed his team with ball players.

Plymouth’s height advantage ensured they tried to keep it on the floor as much as possible but that was not always easy on a surface likely to kick up at the most unexpected moment.

But after a non-descript first half, City responded to Hopkin’s plea to attack the Kop with vigour by mounting proper pressure on the away goal.

Plymouth, though, have only lost one in nine and Letheren maintained that mean streak with some confident handling. He was beaten only once by Ball – but the cross-shot pinged away off the far post.

Akpan also skied horribly into the stand shortly after coming on before fellow sub Jermaine Anderson was thwarted once more by the keeper, who happened to be in the right place at the right time to block a point-blank backheel.

The palms will stay sweaty for a while.