So City's play-off hopes are dealt a severe blow as they go down 2-0 to Stevenage in their eighth home defeat of the season on a damp and misty night at the Park in front the lowest home league crowd of the season of 3026. City lined up: Paul Jones; Billy Jones, Todd, Sawyer, Woodards; Challinor, Buckle, Cronin, Taylor; Flack, Farrell.

The game started with both sides content to slug it out in the middle, toe to toe. Neither really able to gain an advantage, but equally neither willing to give an inch. However, it was City who had the first chance of the match as early as the second minute when a whipped in Taylor cross after good work from Woodards down the flank saw an underhit Farrell header easily clutched by the keeper.

The teams continued the midfield cat and mouse, and soon it was Stevenage's turn to have a shot, although this time a ferocious 40 yard dipping rocket that a desperately back-tracking Paul Jones did well to palm over. This appeared to sting City into action, and soon they began to dominate proceedings with at times some quite sublime football with slick passing and fleet of foot running.

On twenty minutes a fine Challinor ball in from the left was glanced weakly into the keeper's midriff from ten yards by Flack, and then moments later a viciously inswinging Billy Jones free kick was butted over, again by Flack, and again from ten yards. The free kicks continued, and on the half hour a superb thirty yard strike from Jones was deflected towards the top corner only for the keeper to turn it round the post with some dexterity.

Surely it was now only a matter of time before a goal was scored, and City's dominance, style and workrate deserved as much. However, football can be a cruel game and a rare Stevenage foray into City territory saw the ball smuggled through to Stamp on the edge of the box who cheekily dinked the ball over the onrushing Jones for a completely against the run of play, yet magnificent nonetheless, opener to put Stevenage one nil up.

City fell to pieces. Gone were the passing moves and with their fragile confidence shattered, so was their discipline. Thankfully the half was bought to an end not long after, as passion and determination threatened to boil over into ill temper and petulance, when cool heads and calm nerves were needed most.

Following a wonderful half time parade of the Centre of Excellence boys, and impassioned plea for support as league funding to the tune of £60,000 will end this season if we stay in the Conference, the second half was soon upon us, and as with the first it was Farrell who had the first sight of goal in the second minute with a weak turn and shot from the edge of the area.

The game rapidly degenerated into one of midfield slog and clog, timewasting, niggling and apparently endless life threatening injuries until the introduction of Edwards for Farrell on twenty minutes. City picked up a bit then, and began to claw their way back into the game. But Stevenage are no mugs and the killer blow was dealt on the half hour when a free kick floated to the back post was palmed away by Jones but only as far as Nurse

who lashed home gleefully through a crowd of players from ten yards to make

it two nil.

Immediately Inglethorpe withdrew Taylor and Flack for Gill and Carlisle, and the move nearly bought immediate rewards with a Carlisle 30 yard free kick smashing into the bar with the keeper nowhere then a Jones free kick fumbled on the line that saw two City players apparently get in each other's way to bundle the ball in but somehow it was cleared instead. Minutes later a strong Carlisle run down the right to the byline saw the ball driven low and hard across the face of goal inches away from the desperate lunge of Todd with the goal gaping. The final piece of action in a pulsating final five minutes was the umpteenth free kick that Carlisle unfortunately could only hoist over the bar from twenty yards out.

So where does that leave us? The number of play-off spots seems to diminish with each passing week, and even now, with nine games remaining, fourth placed York look to be out of our reach with a six point advantage, whilst Stevenage are fifth, also six points to the good but having played a game more.

Of the players, Paul Jones, I thought, had one of his better games. His kicking was much improved, and he wasn't afraid to challenge for crosses and high balls despite some heavy pressure at times. For the two goals he was a tad unlucky - the first was a sublime piece of skill, and the second a little unfortunate that his sharp clearance went straight to one of theirs.

At the back all seemed pretty comfortable for most of the game. Woodards was always keen to get forward and made some truly lung bursting runs right up until the end. The centre backs seemed to mop up most stuff, and Billy Jones looked refreshed and raring to go at left back.

The midfield was a problem today though. Despite a heroic attempt to run the show by Taylor, for much of the game both Buckle and Challinor seemed too far removed from the action. Cronin showed flashes of previous performances, and today always seemed willing to make the tackle and never shied away from trying to pass instead of resorting to wild hacks roughly in the direction of the opposition goal.

Up front sadly it just didn't happen. Flack won plenty of headers, but they amounted to nothing in the main. Farrell desperately needs a goal, and no matter what he tried you knew today wasn't the day he would be ending his current barren spell. Edwards, in contrast, looked keen, sharp and eager to mix it and get into the action, and it was bad luck in the extreme that just as Alex was about to make his double substitution they upped and scored a second to kill the game dead. Having said that, Carlisle showed more in five minutes than he has in the rest of his games put together, and was very unlucky to see his wonderful free kick come crashing back off the crossbar late on.

But all of that doesn't detract from the bitter disappointment of the result. Eight defeats at home really is half a dozen too many if you have aspirations for promotion, and the table tells us we have a real mountain to climb if we're to get anywhere near league football next season. Sadly, recent results seem to indicate that once again we will fall short, but

whilst it's still possible we shouldn't chuck the towel in just yet.

But there is the little matter of the FA Trophy next weekend too - our final chance for glory this season. I trust you'll all be there for the Grays game on Saturday willing the boys on for the only thing we've got left to cheer about really, and by the time we face Altrincham on, ironically, April the first, it may be academic anyway. So see you next week, and if we can't make the Britannia Stadium, then let's at least make sure we make Upton Park.