Truro City began their National League South campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss at home to title favourites Dorking Wanderers.

But despite the result going against City, with Charlie Carter’s 48^th minute strike setting proceedings for the visitors, there was much to celebrate from a Truro perspective with the team finally playing back in the Duchy, after almost four years away.

It was a far cry from ‘home’ games which took place in Devon and Gloucester during recent times, with just a handful of fans in attendance.

Indeed, City’s last match as a home side before today, on April 18 against Weymouth, was played out in front of just 126 supporters.

But a new era beginning on the pitch with John Askey in charge, along with the opening of the new Truro City Stadium, saw 2,676 fans attend – eclipsing the attendance when City defeated Curzon Ashton at Treyew Road to reach the FA Vase final in 2007.

Even damp skies didn’t deter a near capacity crowd from descending to Langarth, but the game started in somewhat anti-climactic fashion.

Both teams entered the fray in almost identical shirts as Dorking, curiously, opted to don their third strip of orange and dark blue.

The contrast between City’s red and black ensemble was minimal and after discussion between both teams, play did begin shortly after 3.00pm.

However, one misplaced pass from Wanderers saw play halted as City’s assistant boss Stewart Yetton and Dorking chief Marc White challenged referee Stacey Pearson on her decision to allow the game to start.

After further discussions between all parties, Dorking left the field and returned with their shirts turned inside out.

Red and black now faced off against something that can only be described as off white, but it was enough to restart the game.

And City almost made a dream start when Yassine En-Neyah, making his second Truro debut, set recent loan acquisition Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain galloping free down the right-hand side.

In on goal, Oxlade-Chamberlain hit the ball low, with visiting custodian Harrison Foulkes making a fine save.

Dorking reacted well to almost going behind and striker Rhys Murphy rose well to head Seb Bowerman’s cross narrowly wide. In almost identical circumstances, another Bowerman centre was met by Jimmy Muitt, who despite fouling Sam Sanders, found the bottom corner and the goal stood.

The visitors then had penalty appeals waved away when Jason Prior was seemingly bundled over by Ben Adelsbury and from that point onwards, Truro were dominant in the first half.

Their position of ascendency was finally reflected on the scoreboard after 30 minutes when Tyler Harvey carved his name into the history books, by becoming the first Tinner to net at the new ground.

It was also Harvey’s 100^th league goal in a City shirt, as he finished in trademark fashion after Will Dean’s free-kick wasn’t cleared by Dorking.

It could have got even better for City in stoppage time as another set-piece delivery from Dean was headed millimetres wide of Foulkes’ left-hand post by Andrew Neal.

The half-time whistle appeared to come at the wrong time for City and just when it was needed for the charismatic White and his charges.

And those fears came home to roost for City just three minutes after the resumption when Carter scored in similar fashion to Harvey.

City then huffed and puffed in search of a leveller as Oxlade-Chamberlain fizzed a piledriver just over the bar before Tom Harrison headed narrowly wide.

Prior should have put the game to bed when he dragged wide from inside the six-yard box and despite this miss, and City moving to a flat back four, Dorking held on comfortably to prevail.

Match Facts

City: Lavercombe, Sanders, Adelsbury (Kabia, 61), Harrison, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dean, Sanogo (Kuleya, 80), En-Neyah (Love-Holmes, 71), Law (Riley-Lowe, 71), Harvey, Neal. Sub not used: Johnson-Fisher

Dorking: Foulkes; Camp, Pybus (Moore, 80), Craig, Bowerman (Briggs, 67), Muitt (McManus, 74), Taylor, Francomb, Carter (Fuller, 90), Murphy (Rutherford, 59), Prior.

Referee: Stacey Pearson

Attendance: 2,676