Truro City strengthened their promotion push with a routine win over mid-table Slough as the visitors suffered a sixth consecutive defeat on the road. 

For the home side, they were winners in the Duchy for the first time since mid-January, thanks to goals from Connor Riley-Lowe and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain.

And the margin of victory could have been even greater for Truro, had they not passed up several opportunities after the interval, as Slough, bar one effort from leading scorer Slavi Spasov, kept their powder almost bone dry in the second stanza. 

City boss John Askey kept faith with the same matchday 16, who picked up a fine 1-0 win on the road at Tonbridge Angels seven days ago, against a Slough side that thrashed Worthing 4-0 at Arbour Park in their last encounter. 

In front of a largely partisan and vociferous crowd, which was in excess of 1500, City took the lead with their first attack of note. 

And it was the familiar long throw of Oxlade-Chamberlain that did the trick as he found Tom Harrison, who flicked to Jaze Kabia and onto Riley-Lowe. The City skipper found space at the back post to fire towards goal and despite his effort taking a deflection off Slough player-boss Scott Davies, visiting custodian Charlie Horlock was beaten and the net rippled. 

Slough responded well to falling behind and but for an acrobatic save from Dan Lavercombe, should have restored parity when Spasov headed towards goal from close range. 

But City’s gloveman clawed the ball, one-handed, over the crossbar and the home side’s lead remained intact, with it nearly doubling after 22 minutes. 

Harrison, who is such a danger from set pieces, shot on target at the back post from a Riley-Lowe corner with the ball deflecting off a blue shirt and away from danger. 

Kabia then fired over after a lighting counter involving Luke Jephcott and Zac Bell but Slough were still in the contest and Lavercombe saved from David Ogbonna inside the six-yard box. 

That chance coming and going for Slough, 10 minutes before the break, really spurred City on and they found another gear as the interval approached. 

Firstly Jephcott stung the palms of Horlock after Bell seized on a defensive error and from the resulting corner, Kabia headed over when free inside the box. 

After the turnaround, City almost drew first blood when Yassine En-Neyah squared for an unmarked Kabia who couldn’t keep his effort down and the ball nestled amongst the City fans congregating in the Eastern Stand. 

Riley-Lowe was then withdrawn from the action, suffering from a calf problem, with Tyler Harvey thrust into the fray as City changed formation and went to a flat back four. 

With Harvey making up a three-pronged home strike force alongside Kabia and Jephcott, it seemed inevitable that City would score again. 

Harvey nearly made an instant impact as he reached Kabia’s deep corner, with some last ditch Slough defending somehow keeping the ball out. City’s leading scorer had another good opportunity, this time with his head, after Jephcott had pulled wide on the right as Slough were creaking, looking every bit the side that has suffered acutely with National League South travel sickness this term. 

With 20 minutes left, City had a glorious chance to double their lead and finally put the game to bed as En-Neyah, who was at his industrious best in midfield, played a wonderful slide rule ball to Kabia. 

Slough’s weary rearguard looked on in desperation for an offside call which never came and Kabia was in on goal. The former Livingston hit man shot low towards goal, only to be denied by Horlock’s legs. 

Then, with 13 minutes left, the decisive second goal did arrive with Kabia claiming his second assist of the game. A free-kick into the Rebels’ box was only half cleared and Kabia headed back into danger, with Oxlade-Chamberlain outjumping a hesitant Horlock and the ball dropped into the net. 

With 90 minutes approaching, City emptied their bench with Dom Johnson-Fisher having two half chances to break his City scoring duck. 

Fellow replacement Mitch Bates looked lively in midfield, making his home debut, while Billy Palfrey and Andrew Neal combined well only for the latter to fire wide of Horlock’s goal. 

The final goalmouth action of note saw Spasov’s radar malfunction at the vital time as he missed the target when the Bulgarian seemed certain to score. 

It would have been nothing more than a consolation for Slough against a City side that have now kept consecutive clean sheets and as the business end of the season approaches, are very much in English football’s most enthralling promotion mix. 

Match Facts

City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harrison, Law, Bell, En-Neyah (Bates, 90), Dean, Rooney (Palfrey, 84), Riley-Lowe (Harvey, 55), Jephcott (Neal, 90), Kabia (Johnson-Fisher, 84).

Slough Town: Horlock, Davies, Pruti, Bayliss, Jackman, Goddard, Prosper, Gilbert, Amartey (Spicer, 81), Spasov, Ogbonna (Evans 63). Subs not used: Roth, Timberlake, Hollis. 

Referee: Matthew Scholes

Attendance: 1,776