Maidstone Utd 1 Truro City 0 (Maidstone win 3-0 on aggregate)

City's hopes of a second successive promotion came to an end in Kent, despite a brave fight in this National League South play-off second leg tie.
The visitors went into the game trailing 2-0 from the home leg, but in the first half they were better team and created several good chances without being able to take any of them them.
And the longer the game went on in the heat at the Gallagher Stadium, the tougher it became for City and Alex Flisher's 73rd minute goal following s quick counter-attack finally sealed their fate.

 

But despite the defeat it has been a superb season by Steve Tully' side to finish fourth, but unfortunately they fell just short at the end with that first leg defeat just too difficult to overcome.
For the game, Tully made three changes with Aaron Dawson coming in at right back for Shane White, with Connor Riley-Lowe returning at left back to allow Ryan Brett to move into midfield with Ben Adelsbury dropping to the bench.
And in the first half, City were the more dangerous side and knew that a goal that would get them right back into the match.
They took the match to the home side, with Dan Green and Cody Cooke both going close.
Dawson had a long range shot turned away by home keeper Lee Worgan, who then performed heroics to somehow keep out Cooke's flick with his legs following a corner.
With Matty Jay influential in many of the visitors' best moves, City continued to press without reward.
And they then suffered a blow early in the second half when influential skipper Arran Pugh had to go off injured with Jamie Richards taking his place in central defence.
Maidstone improved after the interval, but City still carried a real goal threat without being able to find a finish.
And when Flisher struck it was game over though City never gave up.
Over the two legs they competed well, but the lack of a goalscorer, with Isaac Vassell out injured, was telling.
In the final Maidstone will travel to local rivals Ebbsfleet utd on Saturday after they beat Whitehawk on penalties.
Maidstone: Worgan, Driver, Mills, Coyle, Parry, Rogers, Karagiannis (Sweeney 74mins), Healy, Dumaka (May 62mins), Taylor (Paxman 78mins), Flisher. Subs not used: Davies, Godmon.
CITY: Rice; Dawson, Pugh (Richards 47), Bentley, Riley-Lowe (Afful 60); Jay, Green, Knowles, Cooke (Adelsbury 70), Brett, Wright. Subs: Not used: White, McHale.
Goal: Flisher (73) 1-0.
City man of the match: Ollie Knowles.
Referee: Carl Brook

Crowd: 2508

By Rhod_Mitchell | West Briton | May 08, 2016