Truro City suffered a single goal reverse at the hands of SkyBet League 1 outfit Plymouth Argyle, in front of a sold-out crowd. 

But the scoreline was harsh on City who dominated for long spells, especially in the opening 45 minutes, against an Argyle side who are rebuilding after relegation last term, under new boss Tom Cleverley. 

City deservedly went ahead 10 minutes before the interval when Lirak Hasani found the top corner with a fine finish. 

But the Pilgrims were level going into the break when Will Dean was unfortunate to put through his net. 

Both sides made a whole host of second half substitutions after the turnaround and Argyle took the lead through Bradley Ibrahim’s low finish. 

There was an instant response from the Tinners when B Trialist lashed home a loose ball and the game was all-square once more. 

And just when it looked like cross-Tamar bragging rights would be shared, Caleb Watts’ effort took a heavy deflection off Sam Sanders, to wrongfoot A Trialist in the City goal. 

City had a good penalty shout waved away in stoppage time but Argyle clung on with those of a red and black disposition happier than their Pilgrim counterparts, come referee Steven Swan’s final whistle, despite the away team’s victory. 

Tinners chief John Askey opted to mix up his squad from the routine win over Tavistock last Friday. Ryan Law (pictured below), Billy Palfrey and Luke Jephcott all lined up against their former club with Dan Rooney and Tyler Harvey sitting out against the Pilgrims, who the latter two also served a decade ago. 

Jephcott, Law and for Argyle Joe Edwards, were the only survivors from the last time the two sides met at Treyew Road in July 2019. City picked up a surprising 1-0 win that balmy summer’s evening and the early stages of this clash pointed towards a Cornish win on this occasion too. 

Truro raced from the traps and after Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain glanced a header just wide, captain Connor Riley-Lowe had a sighter well held by Greens custodian Luca Ashby-Hammond. 

At the other end, Freddie Issaka, schooled at Truro College, found Bim Pepple but the former Luton Town forward could only find the gloves of City stopper Dan Lavercombe. 

City had a plentiful amount of joy down Argyle’s left during the opening exchanges and a number of crosses, chiefly from Zac Bell, went into the corridor of uncertainty but weren’t turned home. 

Palfrey had Truro’s next chance when he found the arms of trialist Ashby Hammond whilst at the other end, Issaka horribly fluffed his lines after picking up a loose ball inside the box and Law blocked a Caleb Roberts shot. 

Just shy of the half hour mark, City turned the ball over in midfield thanks to the endevour of Palfrey, Harry Kite and Lirak Hasani, with Dom Johnson-Fisher free down the left. 

The 21-year-old attacker found Bell who had outpaced Jack Mackenzie, but Ashby-Hammond came to Argyle’s rescue with a fine save. 

That was the loudest warning of the half for Cleverley’s charges, but it was one they failed to heed as Hasani broke the deadlock with a fine finish. 

Jephcott fed the Yorkshire born midfielder who looked up and caressed the ball with the side of his foot into the top corner, past a desperate Ashby-Hammond dive. 

Falling behind, albeit temporarily, did spur Argyle into life and Pepple was denied by the legs of Lavercombe although home dominance had only abated temporarily. 

Ashby-Hammond kept his side in the contest with a good stop from Kite, who had volleyed towards goal with his left foot. 

But in first half stoppage time, Argyle drew level against the run of play when Pepple’s cross hit Will Dean and rolled past Lavercombe into the net. 

Not being ahead was harsh on City and fortunate for Argyle and after a sure dressing down from Cleverley, the visitors at least stemmed the Truro tide in the second stanza. 

They didn’t create a glut of chances though and with the substitutions upsetting the game’s rhythm for both sides, as expected, the first real chance of note resulted in the Greens’ go-ahead goal. 

Ibrahim, one of 10 second half changes by Cleverley, finished well with just over 20 minutes left but the lead was short-lived. 

Jephcott had an effort blocked after City won the ball back again in a good area and B Trialist confidently stroked home to make it 2-2. 

The teams then traded chances as time ticked down with Ibrahim denied his brace by A Trialist whilst Tylor Love-Holmes’ header was saved by Ashby-Hammond. 

The Argyle gloveman then gave away a corner for keeping hold of the ball for too long but straight from that resulting flag kick, Argyle went up the other end and scored the winning goal. 

Edwards ran clear down the right crossing into the box for Watts, whose shot cannoned into Sanders and found the mark. 

City weren’t quite done yet though and Love-Holmes was upended in the box in stoppage time, but referee Swan waved play on, as Argyle picked up their first win of pre-season. 

For Truro, the positives were plain to see and the side will look to build on this when they host local rivals Falmouth Town on Saturday – 3.00pm. 

Match Facts

City: Lavercombe (A Trialist, 45), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Sanders, 61), Dean (Adelsbury, 84), Law, Bell (Love-Holmes, 51), Kite (En-Neyah, 61), Palfrey (C Trialist, 61), Hasani (Sanogo, 61), Riley-Lowe (Kinsey, 61), Johnson-Fisher (B Trialist, 61), Jephcott (D Trialist, 80). 

Plymouth Argyle: Ashby-Hammond, Sorinola (Edwards, 62), Matthews (Palsson, 62), Szucs, Mackenzie (Galloway, 45), Benarous (Amaechi, 62), Boateng (Wiredu, 62), Roberts (Ibrahim, 62), Issaka (Mumba, 62), Paterson (Watts, 62), Pepple (Oseni, 62).

Subs not used: Flower, Hatch. 

Referee: Steven Swan

Attendance: 2.725