Please note: This report has been compiled using the TV coverage from Setanta as opposed to live action.

Thanks to the adverse weather conditions, City travelled up not by air as planned but by coach for Monday night's tricky televised encounter at York. Paul Tisdale made one change from the side which earned a 2-2 draw at Crawley last week, reverting to the 4-1-4-1 formation employed successfully at Cambridge. As a result, George Friend came into the starting XI in place of Lee Elam, with Rob Edwards playing in midfield. So, the City line-up was: Marriott in goal, Friend and Tully the full-backs, Matt Taylor and Seaborne in the centre of defence; Edwards sitting in front of the back four, with Carlisle and Moxey on the wings and Andy Taylor and Gill in the centre of the park. Richard Logan ploughed a lone furrow up front, with the idea being for Carlisle and Moxey to push up when City attacked. The bench comprised Jones, Richardson, Elam, Basham and Harley.

City begun brightly, earning a corner within the opening 30 seconds of the kick-off. From Moxey's corner Matt Taylor glanced a header wide of the post. The early exchanges continued to go in favour of City, Tully firing high and wide after a long throw from Gill was only partially cleared. City continued to press, albeit without really testing Tom Evans in the York goal.

After a fairly cagey first 25 minutes, York began to come into the match and Marriott had to be alert to block a shot from the Minstermen's full-back Purkiss. The pendulum, however, had swung firmly in York's favour and it came as little surprise when the home side took the lead. From a short corner, skilful winger Martyn Woolford emerged with the ball 25 yards out in the inside right channel. He had to be inch-perfect with his shot to beat Marriott, and he was - the ball creeping inside the near post with Marriott at full stretch.

City reacted to this goal by making an attacking substitution, although it was not clear whether the change was forced by injury or was purely tactical. In any case, skipper Andy Taylor was replaced by Steve Basham.

However, as City regrouped with a more conventional 4-4-2 formation, York struck again. City in recent months appeared to have negotiated their weaknesses at corners, but for the second time in just over 5 minutes a corner was City's undoing - Daniel Parslow lost Seaborne to fire home a free header. City looked in pieces at this point and should have gone even further behind. Marriott did well to palm away a shot from Duncum, but the ball fell to a sliding Manny Panther who fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

With the clock ticking down towards half-time, City were given a lifeline. Wayne Carlisle forced a corner with a deflected shot. Evans failed to deal with matters, leaving Basham to fire home from 8 yards.

City emerged strongly in the second half as they sought to erase the deficit, although York defended resolutely. The play was relentless in City's favour, but Evans in the York goal continued to have little to do, apart for making a slight hash of a firm drive from Basham. At the other end Marriott was a virtual spectator.

That changed on 69 minutes. With City getting ready to bring on Ryan Harley, Rob Edwards lost the ball in midfield. York broke down the right, and the ball eventually found its way to Onome Sodje to stab home from close range. At first glance it looked as though he was offside - even the York manager and Sodje himself thought so in TV interviews - but the pictures clearly showed Seaborne playing him onside having attempted to block off the original cross from the right.

Harley was immediately introduced for Edwards, but it was York who pressed for another goal - Marriott pulling off one stunning save in particular. However, as time ticked down and Lee Elam was introduced for Dean Moxey, City regained their composure and laid siege on the York goal - with a number of half-chances failing to be converted. That was until 5 minutes from time. Carlisle's excellent cross was half-cleared to Harley, who swung over a beautiful hanging ball. With Evans creeping off his line, Logan rose highest to nod nonchalantly a looping header into the net.

City chased the game with vigour, and Steve Basham looked unlucky to be ruled offside when put through, but were found wanting, and York hung on for victory.

This was a strange sort of performance from City. Whether the change in travel plans affected them, or whether they found the wet conditions not to their liking, it was a disjointed show. Where a similar performance had yielded a point (and could easily have yielded all three) at Crawley last week, this time around it wasn't to be. City enjoyed comfortably the majority of possession and territory, but in truth the better chances were created by York, who could easily have scored 5 or 6 but for a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping. For City it seemed that every ball fell just in the wrong place or the vital deflections went against them, and on another day the possession enjoyed by the Grecians could have carved out lots of opportunities, but it wasn't to be. Perhaps City were missing the pace and ingenuity of Adam Stansfield more than let on.

Next up is the visit of whipping-boys Droylsden on Saturday, and Paul Tisdale knows that anything less than a convincing win will appease the fans after a 2-match road trip that yielded just one point.