Will Dean’s stoppage time strike saw Truro City prevail over lowly St Albans City, with John Askey’s side now just a single point and position behind league leaders Torquay.
The game appeared to be heading for a draw after Zane Banton’s 49th minute goal had been cancelled out by substitute Andrew Neal. Dean, however, had other ideas, firing home from the edge of the box to spark jubilant scenes amongst travelling fans and players alike, thus handing the Tinners a welcome early Christmas present.
Boss Askey named the same starting line-up that took to the field against Maidstone United seven days previously. There was one change on the bench though, with Ryan Law, who has been missing since the Torquay United FA Trophy defeat with a knee injury, taking his place amongst the substitutes. Stewart Yetton returned to a watching brief while Yassine En-Neyah (hamstring) and Seidou Sanogo (broken leg) remained unavailable.
Under dark skies and after a torrential rain shower on the shortest day, the opening half was largely uneventful with the home side’s powder remaining dry for the entire 45 minutes.
At the other end, City looked the likelier to score although their chances were few and far between. Crucially, though, Truro dominated in midfield and this engine room prolificacy would ultimately lead to the side’s comeback win.
Billy Palfrey headed wide inside the box during the opening stanza and in first half stoppage time, Jaze Kabia had a glorious chance to break the deadlock. Dean’s set-piece delivery, which troubled St Albans throughout, saw Tyler Harvey and home custodian Michael Johnson battle for the ball and inside the six-yard box, Kabia could only hook the scraps over the bar.
City would have been the happier of the two sides going into the turnaround but within four minutes of the restart, St Albans took the lead.
A quick-fire break saw Ken Charles find Banton who found the mark, via a deflection from inside the box. Banton, who netted the last time Truro travelled to Clarence Park in March – albeit in a losing cause – was without doubt the Saints’ stand out player against City this time round, and was duly rewarded with a goal.
Immediately, home tails were up and St Albans then enjoyed their best spell of the game. Charles fired wide when well placed in the box before Shaun Jeffers’ effort was saved well by visiting incumbent Dan Lavercombe.
City rode out the home pressure well and with a change of personnel and formation, as Dom Johnson-Fisher replaced Levi Andoh, Askey’s charges set out in search of a route back into proceedings.
And with 20 minutes left, Kabia could only head wide of the mark before City were denied an equaliser by the woodwork. Harvey glanced towards goal but the ball crashed back off the post and Tom Harrison, arriving at the back stick, was millimetres away from poking into an unguarded net.
One of those days for City, perhaps? Neal had other ideas and after he was thrust into the fray 13 minutes from time, replacing the outstanding Dan Rooney, the equaliser duly arrived.
Dean’s left wing corner was flicked goalwards by Neal and the ball seemed to be going wide, but somehow curled into the far corner, for his first of the season.
That goal changed the game’s momentum as expected, with St Albans struggling to get out of their own half, defending with increasing desperation, looking to cling on for a point.
But City went for the jugular and Sam Sanders headed a Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain long throw towards goal, only for Johnson to safely pouch the ball.
Johnson-Fisher’s persistence down the right carved out a shooting chace for Dean who had two bites of the cherry, with one effort cleared off the line.
That wasn’t the end of the drama as Neal and Kabia combined to find Dean on the edge of the box and after a fine turn to shift the ball onto his left foot, the net bulged as City ended their 2024 campaign on the road with a maximum haul.
Match Facts
City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harrison, Sanders, Andoh (Johnson-Fisher, 61), Palfrey, Dean, Rooney (Neal, 77), Riley-Lowe, Kabia, Harvey. Subs not used: Law, Adelsbury, Love-Holmes.
St Albans City: Johnson, Claridge, Longe-King, Chinedu, James, Payne, Rasulo, Miccio (Allen, 82), Charles, Jeffers, Banton. Subs not used: Smith, Wilkinson, Castiglione, Moore.
Referee: Dan Baines
Attendance: 1,547
