Striker Rocky Neal has praised the character shown by Truro City ahead to tomorrow’s away trip to Eastbourne Borough – 3.00pm. 

Neal came off the bench to score City’s late winner in the side’s most recent match at home to Hornchurch. 

Ahead thanks to Billy Palfrey’s 82nd minute goal, City shipped an equaliser in stoppage time only to go up the other end and snatch all three points through Neal.

This was City’s seventh stoppage time goal so far this term, yielding 12 points as John Askey’s charges very much remain in the promotion picture. 

“It is a testament to the character of the lads ( to score late goals) as we have always had a never-say-die attitude,” Neal began. “We have never had it easy and our backs always seem to be against the wall, so we have some real good characters in the dressing room. 

“We are a really fit group and the lads look after themselves really well by training really hard. Fitness really prevails towards the end of games and we just never know when we are beaten because the lads keep going. 

“The more late goals you score, the more you think that late on you might nick one. That is a really good habit to get into.”

Neal’s goal was his first at the Truro City Stadium, in what the pint-sized hit man revealed as ‘the worst conditions I have ever played in’, as freezing temperatures, heavy rain and strong winds made free-flowing football difficult for both the Tinners and Hornchurch. 

“It was a nice feeling to score my first goal at the Truro City Stadium,” said. “It is also nice to score late after we conceded late, which at the time was a bit of a kick in the teeth. We kept going, the ball fell to me in the box and I put it away. There were lots of bodies in the box, I tried my luck and it went past the ‘keeper.

“Overall it was good to get three points, on what was a really cold, wet and windy day. It was probably the worst conditions I have ever played in. When you are sitting on the bench in those conditions, you almost don’t want to come on – and I always want to come on and help the team. 

“But when you’re sat there, I was thinking ‘it doesn’t look very pretty out there’, but in all seriousness, I was just happy to get on and do my bit for the team”

The 30-year-old has certainly done that in recent weeks with City’s first goal in the victory against St Albans just before Christmas, before his Hornchuch heroics last Saturday. 

He admitted to this term being ‘frustrating’ due to injury and not being able to displace Jaze Kabia and Tyler Harvey from the starting line up, with 25 goals between them so far. 

However, Neal, who hit double figures last term, said he is just ‘training hard’ and waiting for his chance.

“I started the season and then I had to have an operation to remove my appendix, he revealed. “I was out for about a month and then Jaze played up front with Ty and they have both done really well. 

“It has been a case of just not being able to get back in because the team have been doing well and they have been scoring goals. 

“The timing of my operation was unfortunate because the lads have done well and that has made it difficult for me to get back in the team. 

“That is frustrating because I am usually playing more games, but I haven’t got anything to complain about because we have been on a good run. It is just a case of training hard and when I get the opportunity, doing something to help stay in the team.”