Andrew Neal’s stoppage time winner handed Truro City a first win of the new calendar year in atrocious conditions. 

With heavy rain, a swirling wind and freezing temperatures, City dominated for long spells but found visiting custodian Mason Terry difficult to beat until eight minutes from time. 

Substitute Dom Johnson-Fisher, who, along with his fellow replacement Neal, swung more momentum in the Tinners’ favour, crossed for Billy Palfrey to fire home his third of the season. 

And it appeared, as conditions worsened, that City would hold out but the Urchins had other ideas.

Darren McQueen forcing the ball home after a goalmouth scramble into the second minute of stoppage time. 

But straight from the restart, City were on the front foot and Neal appeared at the back post to finish with aplomb past Terry to send a cold and went TCS into raptures. 

Home boss John Askey stuck with the same side that were defeated 1-0 in unfortunate circumstances at Torquay on New Year’s Day. There was an alteration on the bench however as young stopper Morgan Jones missed out and he was replaced by player assistant boss Stewart Yetton. 

New signing from Swansea Mitchell Bates was available to play, but he does not arrive into the Duchy from Wales until Monday. 

In front of another bumper crowd which braved the elements throughout, City made a bright start and despite playing against the wind, had the game’s first chance when Terry kept out a Connor Riley-Lowe header from a Will Dean corner. 

At the other end, Hornchurch’s leading scorer Liam Nash found himself in on goal, but he could only scoop the ball wide. Apart from McQueen’s equaliser, this was the Essex outfit’s only significant effort throughout the entire game. 

Approaching the interval, another corner caused havoc in the visitors’ box as Tom Harrison saw his goalbound stab from close range cleared off the line. 

After the turnaround, City had the conditions in their favour but Terry continually came to the rescue of his side. 

He managed to tip Riley-Lowe’s wind assisted cross-cum-shot over the bar before Terry, on loan from Premier League strugglers West Ham United, produced a brilliant one-handed save to deny Jaze Kabia.

Dean’s low shot was also kept out as it appeared to be one of those days for City. Palfrey, as he has on several occasions so far this term, had other ideas though, finishing well with his left foot as Johnson-Fisher claimed an assist. 

But into stoppage time, a hanging cross by Hornchurch was punched clear by City custodian Dan Lavercombe, with the ball falling to McQueen who squeezed it home. 

A demonstration of how bad the conditions were came in the aftermath of McQueen’s goal when Hornchurch defender Harry Gibbs was forced off, suffering with the effects of hypothermia.

Despite this stoppage, City, as they have done so many times in Askey’s tenure to date, found the desire to push for a winner and despite Hornchurch appealing for offside, Neal’s goal, his second of the season, saw the Tinners get off the mark in 2025. 

Match Facts

Truro City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harrison, Sanders, Riley-Lowe, Rooney (Neal, 64), Dean, Palfrey, Law, Kabia (Johnson-Fisher, 68), Harvey. Subs not used: Love-Holmes, Adelsbury, Yetton. 

Hornchurch: Terry, Cooper, Gibbs (McMahon, 90), Scott, Clements, Scannell, Muldoon, Wraight (Balanta, 57), Adams, Nash (McQueen, 73), Hearn (Saunders, 80) 

Referee: Ash Clarke

Attendance: 1322