Albion came through an important test of character as they completed a hat-trick of clean sheet victories.

A hard-earned success at Bootham Crescent, days after the unexpected exit of assistant Alan Cork, suggests the Seagulls have the mental strength to sustain a promotion challenge.

Imagine if Albion's undefeated run had come to an end against lowly York. Much would have been made of the absence of the chirpy link between the players and Micky Adams.

Corky will be a hard act to follow and a hard man to replace. Physio Malcolm Stuart did a passable impersonation by donning a skull cap for the pre-match warm-up with the players.

Adams has ruled out promoting from within, while most of the people he has worked with before at other clubs already have good jobs.

But he can now approach the task of finding a successor to his pal safe in the knowledge there is a dogged determination in the dressing room not to let such a setback upset the apple cart.

With the fleeting prospect of a move to Millwall firmly laid to rest by Adams himself, both he and his team have emerged from a disruptive few days still on the up.

This was by no means a vintage performance, certainly not in the same class as the decisive destruction of Cheltenham the previous week.

It was, nevertheless, a banana skin fixture in the circumstances, which made the Seagulls' refusal to slip all the more encouraging.

York could have no complaints about their third defeat on the trot. Goalkeeper Alan Fettis won their man of the match award.

Woodwork, that most solid of defenders, upstaged Fettis in a lively first half. Albion were foiled three times by the frame of his goal.

Richard Carpenter was the first to suffer when he thumped an early free-kick against a post.

There was a certain irony about Paul Watson heading Charlie Oatway's cross against the bar just seconds later. Watson, usually the set piece specialist, is not noted for his aerial ability.

Paul Rogers was the next victim, the diving Fettis deflecting his shot at the end of a neat move onto the bar.

Adams and Albion's 1,000 fans, a third of the crowd, must have feared it was not to be at that point, but then Nathan Jones reminded everybody of the scoring knack he has acquired since signing for the Seagulls.

The Welshman was put clean through by Hart's well-timed pass as the York defence looked in vain for an offside flag. Fettis half-blocked his first effort, but Jones slotted his fourth goal in six games into an empty net at the second attempt.

That is quite a return for a left-sided midfielder who, but for a controversial red card with his former club Southend, would probably be playing at leftback.

It is reasonable to assume Adams would have used his summer signing in the position he favours without his suspension for the opening two matches.

That gave Kerry Mayo a chance which he has grasped with a series of stoutperformances.

Mayo and the rest of the defence were stretched at times as Albion's shut-out sequence came under serious threat.

Mark Cartwright made an important save from Scott Jordan right at the end of a first half in which York's 3-5-2 formation to some extent stifled Jones's and Hart's freedom on the flanks.

The home side brought on James Turley, a pint-sized striker, for central defender Barry Jones in the second half and Turley came closest to equalising.

His looping diagonal header was goalbound when Danny Cullip nodded it over his own crossbar.

The points were not in the bag even when York had Darren Edmondson sent-off 19 minutes from time for foul and abusive language to a linesman, just as he was about to take a throw-in.

Adams sacrificed the isolated Bobby Zamora soon after for the defensive power of Andy Crosby.

Lee Steele and Paul Brooker had already been brought on, for Hart and Jones, changes which emphasised the fierce competition for places.

Albion's spirit was typified by Oatway. He threw himself into tackles in the closing stages with trademark tenacity.

Adams said: "We could have been five up in the first half, but for the keeper and woodwork.

"I was disappointed with some of the performances. We looked a little bit leg-weary.

"We were better than York and we just did enough.

"When we play better teams that sort of performance won't be good enough. We will have to raise it."

With those remarks Adams was inadvertently looking ahead to the next test against Leyton Orient on Saturday.