Goalless affair leaves City frustrated!

Truro’s second successive clean sheet unfortunately wasn’t enough for another home win and manager Steve Massey made it quite clear in his post-match interview that he felt the chances that were created should have been put away.

From last week’s 3-0 defeat at Hemel Hempstead, there was only the one change with Dan Green starting his first league game since returning from Dorchester. Les Afful sitting it out on the subs bench.

It was always going to be a struggle with a strong gusty wind swirling around Treyew and this wasn’t helped when the rain arrived towards the end of the first half and swept across the pitch from the clubhouse end.

The conditions suggested that one goal would be enough to win this contest, which is probably why Massey felt it was a case of losing two points, rather than gaining a well deserved point.

Playing into the wind, City looked comfortable, however shots on target were few and far between.

After 10 minutes Dan Green hit an effort over the Corby goal, while Liam Eddy brought a good save out of The Steelemen’s goalkeeper Paul Walker, before midway into the first half Eddy threatened twice within a minute, his first shot being touched away by a defender and his second going wide with the striker on the deck!

The visitors responded with right back Sam Ives shooting over from distance, while a rather unorthodox clearance from City’s ‘keeper Grant Fisher got caught in the wind, however our current No 1 made up for it when the ball eventually came down to earth by dropping down onto the ball.

Truro continued to take the game to their opponents with Cody Cooke’s shot blocked, Green having another effort deflected over and Joe Broad also joined in with a shot, but one that also didn’t really threaten breaking the stalemate.

Probably our best chance of the game came two minutes after the interval when Ben Watson looked to be through with only Walker to beat, but the No 9’s shot, from the edge of the penalty area, went straight into the ‘keeper’s hands!

The biggest scare of the match for the home defence came in the 58th minute when skipper Paul Kendall underhit a back pass, but Fisher was quick off his line to avoid any embarrassment for our captain in the absence of the injured Jake Ash.

Again as the half progressed, City pushed on and forced a couple of corners which caused some worry for Walker and his defence with Green having a shot blocked while a Kendall header somehow stayed out.

Both sides introduced players in the hope that the elusive goal might come, but when good work down the left from Shane White ended with Eddy hitting his shot into the near side netting, you just got the feeling it wasn’t going to be our day and we were heading towards our first goalless home affair since March 2010 when Swindon Supermarine were the opposition.

There was still time left though for Corby’s central defender Paul Malone to pick up a yellow card, which many thought should have been a red, when he appeared to be the last man and brought down Jamie Lowry right on the edge of the penalty area.

The resultant free-kick from White went high over the Corby cross-bar and with it went any chance of 3 points.

The crowd of 386 no doubt left the ground as frustrated as Massey : “We get in good positions, good experienced players and it’s was just going to be one chance to win today. It’s not that we didn’t create them, but we’ve got to start putting those chances away!”

Truro City: Fisher; Tully, White, Kendall (capt), Pugh, Broad, Cooke (Brokenshire 86), J Lowry, Watson, Eddy (Afful 77), Green (Slateford 77).
Subs (not used): Copp, Daw.

Corby Town: Walker; Ives, Malone, Gascoigne, Malone, Jelleyman (capt); Mills, McGowan, Verma, Carvalho, May (Wright 63), Tambini (Carruthers 63).
Subs (not used): Thomas, Fox, Carpenter.

Crowd: 386.

Referee Steve Annis (Penzance)