A 35-yard free-kick from Martin Watts got Truro City three valuable points in their title chase as they beat Cirencester 2-0 at home.

The Centurions had travelled the 400-mile round trip to Cornwall with the hope of getting something from the match. And while they frustrated City for the first half, a wonder strike from Watts set the home side on course to a deserved three points.

It was Cirencester who started to the better side as they looked to take advantage of a recent dip in Truro’s form.

Two early chances fell to Jody Bevan, but after turning Arran Pugh on the edge of the box he could only scuff an effort straight at goalkeeper Martin Rice. And he was equally as wasteful with a header ten minutes later after a good cross from Carl Brown had found him in the box.

At the other end Matt Bullman was tested by a dipping header from Arran Pugh, which forced him to acrobatically tip the ball over the bar.

Truro City came out with more purpose after the interval. And in a clear sign of their must-win approach to the game Lee Hodges brought striker Les Afful for midfielder Danny Clay.

However, it was going to take a moment of brilliance to beat a solid looking Cirencester backline in which Callum Henry and Justin McKay were performing well. And there appeared to be little danger as full-back Watts stepped up to take a free-kick 35-yards from goal. But he hit a curling shot towards the bottom right-hand corner and the ball bounced just in front of Bullman, who could only parry the shot into the back of his net.

Cirencester then began to rock and Afful almost put City 2-0 up as he ghosted in between McKay and Henry to plant a header against the crossbar.

Cirencester eventually settled, but rarely looked like equalising. The closest they came to a goal was when they were awarded a free-kick themselves. But unlike Watts, Mark Draycott smashed his shot low into the wall.

This enabled Hayles to break on the counter and when he played an excellently weighted pass into Afful, the substitute kept his nerve to wrong-foot full-back Zac Westlake, with a clever twist, and place a shot past the stranded Bullman.

Truro City: Martin Rice, Barry McConnell, Martin Watts, Arran Pugh (Scott Walker 86), Steve Adams, Danny Clay (Les Affull 53), Andrew Taylor, Joe Broad, Stewart Yetton (Jake Ash 83), Barry Hayles, Marcus Martin. Substitutes not used: Alex Jeannin, Tom Brooks.