Asa keeps mum as City hit win trail

MAN CITY 2 CHARLTON 1 A SA Hartford rediscovered Manchester City's missing luck - and then refused to comment on reports that he has ruled himself out of the running for the Maine Road managerial hot seat.

Caretaker-boss Hartford saw the Blues lift themselves into the top 10 of the First Division with two goals in four second-half minutes to sink basement club Charlton.

And he then dismissed reports that suggested he had backtracked on an earlier announcement that he is unwilling to fill the vacancy made by Alan Ball's resignation.

'I don't want to comment on the managerial position,' said Hartford, who admitted that City had been fortunate to win 2-1 with late Uwe Rosler and Gerry Creaney goals.

Rosler blasted home an 82nd-minute penalty after referee Trevor West had ruled, it seemed harshly, that Shaun Newton had fouled Paul Dickov inside the penalty area.

And City - who hardly looked likely to cancel out Newton's 27th-minute opener for the Londoners, let alone take the full spoils - sent a near-26,000 crowd wild when Creaney curled home a superb free-kick four minutes later.