Truro City top Group C of the National League Cup after a deserved 3-0 win over a visiting Brighton & Hove Albion under-21s, writes Tom Howe.

Sustained Tinners pressure paid dividends midway through an entertaining first half, one that warmed the crowd of 1,200 plus braving the chilly autumnal conditions. Breaking the deadlock was Seidou Sanogo, who put injury woes behind him when striking home from close range to score a first City goal in 13 months.

Always in the ascendancy, a professional performance from the Tinners was polished further still when Dom Johnson-Fisher tapped home a second after the break, leaving City on the verge of a spot in the quarter-finals.

Sanogo sealed the win when completing his brace deep into second half injury time, to hep record consecutive City wins for the first time since April against a Brighton side who had also won both of their opening two encounters in the competition.

John Askey made seven changes to the Tinners side that came from behind to defeat Halifax Town by two goals to one at the TCS on Saturday, with Rekeil Pyke starting for the first time since September 3 and Aidan Stone between the sticks.

Zac Bell, Yassine En-Neyah, Harry Kite, Tylor Love-Holmes and Sanogo all also came in, with Dan Lavercombe, Shaun Donnellan, Connor Riley-Lowe, Will Dean, Lirak Hasani, Dan Rooney and Luke Jephcott rested ahead of the weekend’s long trip to Gateshead.

The competitive edge City held over their opponents was evident from the early stages but it wasn’t all plain sailing under the floodlights for Askey’s men. They had to contend with the early withdrawal of Aidan Marsh, who limped off to be replaced by Johnson-Fisher after only eight minutes.

The tricky speedster was quickly in amongst it, playing in Love-Holmes who fashioned a cross that was diverted out of play by a visiting defender. This allowed Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain to wind up a trademark long throw, one that caused chaos and ultimately fell to Sanogo, who shot home from the edge of the box.

The Seagulls front line took flight towards the end of the half, testing the Tinners backline and forcing a number of tackles, some which went wayward and saw Max Kinsey and Love-Holmes have their respective names taken by referee Lewis Sandoe.

The half time break came at the right time and, refreshed, City attacked the second stanza from the off. Their search for a second didn’t go on for much longer, as Kite’s corner was nodded on before being nudged over the line by an evermore efficient Johnson-Fisher.

He came close again, as did Love-Holmes, as the rhythm began to sap from the tie on the back of multiple changes on both sides. Eight minutes, eight minutes was the cry when the man with the electronic board passed by, signalling the kind of late drama City fans have been accustomed to this term.

First, Brighton were reduced to ten men when Noel Atom earned himself a second yellow and subsequent red card before, in the dying embers, Sanogo beat Nils Ramming to seal the deal and send City top of the tree.

Tinners: Stone, Bell (Riley-Lowe, 80), En-Neyah (Hasani, 46), Kinsey, Kite, Law, Love-Holmes, Marsh (Johnson-Fisher, 7), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Dean, 46), Pyke (Jephcott, 71), Sanogo. Subs not used: Adelsbury, Howard.

Brighton: Ramming, Albarus, Atom, Barclay, Belmont (West, 63), Keogh, Nti, Owusu (Kasvosve, 63), Robertson (Middleton, 65), Silsby (Ibrahim, 78) Simmonds. Subs not used: Ferdinand, Hayden, Jensen.

Referee: Lewis Sandoe

Attendance: 1,297