City suffer damaging defeat in relegation battle

By Rhod Mitchell LINK

Truro City 0 Maidenhead United 1

Perhaps it was too much too hope for that City could complete a great 24 hours with a victory.

The news released late on Friday night that the club had been bought by local businessmen Peter Masters and Philip Perryman was the best possible Christmas present for City's long suffering supporters.

And the return of Barry Hayles from St Albans to lead the home attack also added to the expectations at Treyew Road.

But Maidenhead played the role of The Grinch to perfection, collecting three deserved points thanks to an Alex Wall goal early in the second half.

City, as manager Lee Hodges admitted after the game, "huffed and puffed" but were at far from their best in what was a crucial relegation "six pointer" against a Maidenhead team who had won just one of their last ten matches.

Defensively City were poor, especially in the first half, when only some great saves by Luke McCormick and a terrible miss by Wall saw the teams go in a 0-0 at half time.

But it took Maidenhead, who beat City 8-0 earlier in the season, just seven minutes of the second half to take the lead with Wall making up for his earlier miss by taking advantage of some ineffectual Truro defending to beat McCormick to the ball before finding the empty net from the edge of the box.

The goal at least sparked Truro in action and it needed a brilliant diving save from Jesse Jorongen to keep out Jake Ash's deflected cross range effort from a Les Afful strike, while Andy Watkins hit the woodwork.

Maidenhead though threatened a second goal on several occasions, with substitute Kevin Bossman denied by McCormick in the final minute when clean through as a deflated City were left to contemplate their 11th and possibly most damaging defeat of the season.

City now have to regroup ahead of Saturday's trip to leaders Salisbury City.

TRURO CITY: McCormick; Hopkinson, Ash (capt), Hodges, Williams; Cooke, Broad, Martin, Afful (Moore 85); Watkins, Hayles (Watts 63). Subs (not used): Carne, Hall.

MAIDENHEAD UNITED: Jorongen; Solomon, Behzadi, Nisbet (capt) (Semakula 60), Kanyuka, Mawson, Flood, Brown, Wall (Bossman 77), Pratt (Henry 90), Pritchard. Sub (not used): Lumley.
Goals: Wall (52) 0-1.

Half time 0-0
Referee: Adrian Quelch (New Milton)

Attendance: 364.