Having come off the back of two good wins against Poole Town in the league and Cirencester Town in the FA Trophy, City headed to the Met Coaches Community Stadium full of confidence.

That confidence was evident early on, as it took Truro just ten minutes to find the breakthrough. Niall Thompson charged down the right wing and got his cross away which was only half cleared to Tyler Harvey who put the ball back across goal to the waiting Ryan Brett who had the simple task of just tapping the ball home to give his side the lead.

Harvey then saw a header bounce back off the cross bar as Truro looked to assert their dominance.

Merthyr were looking shaky defensively and it was only a matter of time before Harvey got his signature goal. With just 20 minutes on the clock the striker made it 0-2. Thompson again involved as he started a Truro counterattack beating two men, then picking out Euan Pollock. The striker held the ball up well before putting it on a plate to his strike partner who coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Truro were running riot in South Wales but they were dealt a blow as the hosts pulled one back completely against the run of play. A moment of true brilliance from Ian Traylor, as rather audaciously he tried his luck from distance and his shot caught Truro keeper Luke McCormick out to bring his side back into the game.

City didn’t let their heads drop and restored their two-goal advantage just past the half hour mark. Ryan Brett’s free kick found an unmarked Cheick Diabate at the back post who took the ball down well before finishing into the corner with a goal any striker would be proud of let alone a centre-half.

It could easily have been four for Truro just before the break, but Connor Riley-Lowe was denied by a good save from the Merthyr shot stopper.

Into the second period and again Truro came close to adding to their tally. Pollock saw a shot blocked away for a corner and from that resulting set piece Brett had a shot blocked into the path of Jamie Richards, but the defender couldn’t get the necessary contact needed to test the keeper.

The hosts then came close, but the strikers shot was deflected just wide of McCormick’s post.

Euan Pollock who didn’t stop running all afternoon, was played in on goal by Dan Rooney and he rounded the keeper, but the offside flag went up against the young forward.

The home side were reduced to ten men with eight minutes to play. Connor Davies was sent off for a second bookable offence following a push on Harvey.

Deep into added on time and Truro also found themselves a man down. Diabate was shown a second yellow card and then a red card but at the end of the game it was revealed that the referee had got confused with the numbers on the shirt and Diabate shouldn’t have been given a red only a yellow as he never received a first yellow card. His red card will therefore be rescinded.

A good result for the White Tigers who next up face a trip to Somerset as they take on Taunton Town in the Southern Football League Cup on Tuesday night.

TRURO: McCormick, Thompson (Johnson 88), Riley-Lowe, White, Diabate, Richards ©, Dean, Brett (Dickson 80), Rooney (Tomlinson 86), Pollock, Harvey.

Attendance: 430