The Match

Truro begin their home league campaign for the new calendar year with a home clash against Hornchurch.

The Urchins were promoted as Isthmian League champions last term and have made a solid start to life in Step Two, currently occupying a mid-table berth.

City currently sit fifth in the standings and in their last match, went down to an unjust 1-0 away defeat at Torquay United.

Played in front of a bumper New Year’s Day crown of over 5,000 at Plainmoor, City dominated for long spells but couldn’t find the goals their endeavours deserved.

In the first half, Ryan Law  (pictured below) and Jaze Kabia were both denied by home custodian James Hamon whilst the Irish striker also had a goal bound effort blocked on the line.

After the turnaround, Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain whistled a low effort past Hamon’s post before Jordan Young broke the deadlock 11 minutes from time.

Torquay were then reduced to 10-men when Jordan Thomas received his second yellow card for a foul on Dan Rooney. City then upped the ante with a numerical advantage and Connor Riley-Lowe hit the underside of the bar in stoppage time.

Tyler Harvey then had a goal bound effort stopped by Gulls’ skipper Oscar Threlkeld before Hamon rescued Torquay with a fine save from substitute Andrew Neal’s curling first time strike.

In opposition

Hornchurch travel from Essex to the Duchy occupying 14th place in National League South.

However, given the incredibly tight nature of the standings towards the top, the Urchins are only 10 points behind City. The visitors are in decent form, suffering just one league defeat in their previous seven outings although Darryl McMahon (pictured below) and his side have not played a full 90 minutes since Boxing Day.

Their last scheduled encounter with Tonbridge on January 1 was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch with Hornchurch’s last completed game on Boxing Day, when the local derby against struggling Avelely finished 1-1.

Prior to that, the side were defeated 2-1 at home to Chippenham, whilst also in December, they picked up a good point at Eastbourne, whilst also defeating Chesham United on the road.

Last Time We Met

There have only been two previous meetings between City and the Urchins, both coming in the 2012-13 season as both side’s suffered relegation from Step Two.

City finished bottom of the National League South pile amid financial troubles which threatened the very existence of the club. A 10-point deduction for going into administration left the side with on 25 points after their regular 42-game season.

Only nine victories were gained although two of those came against Hornchurch, who at this time carried the AFC prefix, something they dropped in 2019.

The first clash between the two sides came in November 2012 at Treyew Road. City had suffered three consecutive league defeats, but bucked the trend with a 3-2 victory. Andy Watkins and Kieffer Moore (2) (pictured below) were on target for Truro while Leon McKenzie replied with a brace for Hornchurch.

The return fixture in April saw City and the Urchins staring down the barrel of relegation to Step Three with the Cornish outfit cut well adrift at the bottom. But they handed themselves a glimmer of hope with a 2-1 win.

The deadlock remained unbroken in the opening stanza although City were handed a numerical advantage when Hornchurch’s Lewis Smith was sent off for a foul on Barry Hayles.

Into the second period and Stewart Yetton put City ahead with Joe May equalising for the hosts shortly after. But Watkins fired Truro back into the lead just after the hour mark and the visitors should have made the margin of victory wider, but Marcus Martin had a late penalty saved.

Tickets

Tickets will remain on general sale until 11.00am this morning

Prices increase by £2 across all categories on the gate, compared to advanced prices.

To buy tickets and for more information – Click Here

Matchday Information

Ahead of this afternoon’s game at the Truro City Stadium, the club have put together this handy guide which will help with frequently asked questions.

To read our matchday guide – Click Here

Follow the Match

Our official X (formerly Twitter) handle will have all the build-up, in-game action and post-match reaction.

Follow Truro City on X

There will be live match commentary via BBC Radio Cornwall – available on the BBC Sport website only. To listen – Click Here