Truro City 3, Tiverton Town 0 – Southern League Premier, January 2011

TWO goals from Marcus Martin and a Barry Hayles header helped Truro City beat local rivals Tiverton Town as they maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table.

City boss Lee Hodges named a familiar looking side for the match, with Les Afful the only absentee from the squad having injured himself in the 2-1 win over Windsor and Eton last Thursday.

However, despite Truro going into the match on the back of two victories and dominating the first 20 minutes of possession, it was Tiverton who came closest to opening the scoring on 21 minutes.

A free-kick from the right was floated to the back post where it was met by the head of Ashley Yeoman. His effort looked destined to dip just under the crossbar, but Martin Rice got a hand to the ball and pushed it over the top.

Three minutes later Truro hit back as Andrew Taylor’s corner was flicked on by Arran Pugh. However, when the ball fell to Steve Adams at the back post he could only divert an awkward volley wide.

The chance should have served as a warning to the visitors to tighten up their marking from corners, but it didn’t and on 29 minutes they were behind.

This time it was Hayles who managed to lose his marker and, as Taylor’s cross curled towards him, he diverted a header over two covering defenders and into the top corner of the net.

City then began to dominate for the remainder of the half and they nearly doubled their advantage when first Taylor and then Andy Watkins had shots blocked in quick succession.

Hayles flashed another header wide of the target before City got the all-important second goal on 41 minutes.

Again the breakthrough came from a Taylor cross, Marcus Martin was the beneficiary as he ran into the box to outjump Jak Martin and plant a header into the right corner of the goal.

The two-goal cushion allowed City boss Lee Hodges to make some changes at half-time as he brought on Jake Ash and Scott Walker who, having been first team regulars last season, were looking to stake a claim for a starting place.

And Walker almost got himself on the scoresheet five minutes into the second half as a wayward cross of his looped over Draper and onto the crossbar.

Tiverton hit back on 57 minutes as Michael Nardiello was allowed to ghost in behind the City defence. However, when in a one-on-one situation with Rice, the former Manchester united trainee fired straight at the ‘keeper and wasted a glorious opportunity.

It was to prove costly as seven minutes later Truro put the game beyond the visitors when Walker floated a cross to the back post, where Martin side-footed a volley past Draper from seven yards out.

Tiverton continued to press forward in search of goals and they were almost rewarded when Joe Bushin fired in a 20-yard shot that Rice saved.

However as the game entered the final ten minutes Tivvy’s remote prospect of a comeback disappeared and City, having already won the game, started to pass the ball around the park to cheers from the 639-strong Bank Holiday Crowd.

Truro: M Rice, B McConnell, M Watts, A Pugh, S Adams, D Clay, A Taylor, M Martin, B Hayles, A Watkins, D Smith. Subs: A Jeannin, S Walker, J Ash, J Broad, S Yetton.