By Gareth Davies at Meadow Park

NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH

Truro City 3 Maidstone United 1

TRURO CITY have all but secured their National League South status for another season after a dominant and deserved victory over Maidstone United. 

Tyler Harvey passed the 50-goal mark in Step Two football for City with a brace, while Dan Sullivan was also on the mark, his third of the campaign.

City boss Paul Wotton made nine changes to the side which lost 2-0 to champions Yeovil Town at Meadow Park on Thursday evening for this, City’s fourth game of the week.

James Hamon was the only ever-present in the side over the past seven days and he continued between the sticks, while wing-back Ryan Law was the other to keep his place.  

Ed Palmer, Ben Adelsbury, Will Dean, Connor Riley-Lowe, Adam Porter, Dan Rooney, Sullivan, Harvey and Andrew Neal came into the side.

City started off the game playing with a strong breeze at their backs and after just seven minutes, the visitors’ defensive fragilities came to the fore. 

Goalkeeper Lucas Covolan dithered when trying to clear the ball and his effort was charged down by Harvey. However, referee Harrison Blair ruled that Harvey had handled and Maidstone escaped. 

Once again, poor Maidstone defending led to City being presented with a sight on goal but Sullivan was denied by a fine save from Covolan.

But despite City’s dominance in the first 20 minutes, it was Maidstone who perhaps should have broken the deadlock when captain Sam Corne saw his low effort hit the post with Hamon beaten.

The follow up from Jephte Tanga was then turned onto the bar by Hamon and City, somehow, saw their goal remain intact. 

City were totally dominant.

After 26 minutes, Rooney glided into the box, escaping the clutches of several would-be Maidstone defenders to feed Harvey. The former Plymouth Argyle striker shifted the ball out of his feet to fire home low into the bottom corner past the dive of Covolan. 

It got even better for City 10 minutes later when Maidstone once again pressed the self-destruct button. 

A long clearance from Hamon was left to bounce and Neal managed to control superbly, he turned on the edge of the box but lost possession. But Maidstone gifted the ball to Sullivan who made no mistake for the second Saturday in succession at Meadow Park. 

This second goal also prompted visiting boss George Elokobi to make a tactical change as Craig Wanjau-Smith replaced the ineffective Muhammadu Faal. 

Granted the visitors enjoyed more of the ball in the second half, but they could not breach a staunch City rearguard. 

As time ticked on, Neal broked free and was in on goal, only to be denied by a brilliant last-ditch tackle.

The points were wrapped up for City three minutes from time when substitute Dom Johnson-Fisher was fouled inside the box by Brown, who was booked for his troubles.

Up stepped Harvey to emphatically dispatch by sending Covolan the wrong way.

That wasn’t the end of the goalmouth action though as Brown then was in the thick of things at the other end. He managed to force the ball through the clutches of Hamon and into the net but there was to be no unlikely comeback in a season where Maidstone and City, have often been involved in barely believable happenings. 

But just like Maidstone delivered the impossible by beating Ipswich in the FA Cup, City have done likewise by all but avoiding the drop despite a relentless schedule.

TRURO CITY: Hamon, Palmer, Adelsbury, Dean, Riley-Lowe, Rooney, Porter (Brett, 54), Sullivan (Melhado, 38), Law, Neal (Johnson-Fisher, 83). Subs not used: Sanders, Munakandafa.