Truro City slumped to a 4-2 home defeat on Saturday at the hands of a lively QPR reserve side, but manager Lee Hodges declared himself happy with his side’s performance as preparations for the coming season continue.

Martin Rowlands and Leon Clarke put the Premiership new boys 2-1 up at the break after City had taken an early lead courtesy of a strike from Les Afful.

And the visitors stretched out a two goal lead soon after the restart thanks to another from Clarke. City clawed their way back into the game, with new loan signing Ed Palmer scoring on his debut to reduce the gap to a single goal.

But with fifteen minutes remaining Rowlands sealed the win for the Rs, bagging his second and effectively killing off any hopes of a City comeback.

Inevitably naysayers will point to Truro’s pre-season record thus far and question whether the squad Lee Hodges has assembled will prove strong enough to cope with the rigours of a season in the Blue Square Bet South.

But those poor results and lacklustre performances at Falmouth Town and Tiverton were bracketed by displays against Yeovil, and now QPR, that will surely serve to convince all but the most churlish of supporters that Hodges’ men have nothing to fear come August 13.

It was a strong Truro City side that took to the pitch for the first half with Les Afful partnering Barry Hayles up front, and Clay and Martin tasked with providing some steel in the midfield.

As expected, the visitors fielded a side largely comprised of reserves, but with a liberal sprinkling of more familiar names; striker Leon Clarke played a small part in last season’s championship winning campaign as did defender Gary Borrowdale.

But it was Truro who started the brighter of the two sides, with Afful making a series of darting runs down the left, which seemed to take the visitors by surprise. One neat exchange with Andy Watkins on the edge of the box almost saw the City front man put clear on goal.

With under five minutes gone City were a goal up, Afful bundling the ball home after good work by Scott Walker - the City wing-back dispossessed Michael Doughty and released Hayles, who stormed into the box and delivered the neatest of cutbacks to the far post where Afful, under pressure from two QPR defenders, poked it in.

From the kick-off City continued to press, but the visitors looked deadly on the counter and sure enough minutes later the scores were level.

A seemingly innocuous challenge on Rowlands just inside the City box saw referee Kevin Friend point to the spot despite City protests. Clarke stepped up to take it, blasting his spot kick straight down the middle.

A breathless first ten minutes showed no sign of abating, then on ten minutes QPR went ahead. A lapse in concentration at the back for City allowed Lee Cook to pick out Rowlands in acres of space just outside the box.

The Rs midfielder looked up, took a touch, then unleashed a wicked low drive that fizzed into the bottom right corner. Undeterred City continued to probe the Rs back line, but the White Tigers were looking increasingly disjointed in midfield, allowing the visitors the time and space to exert some pressure of their own.

And sure enough, on 19 minutes Sandercombe needed to be at his acrobatic best to parry a bullet header from visiting captain Bruno Andrade over the bar.

Regardless of the increased danger from the Londoners, City refused to be overawed by their opponents, electing to attack at every opportunity.

Indeed, Afful might have levelled the scores on 35 minutes when Alvin Putnins, who looked nervy all afternoon, spilled a catch in the box and the ball dropped to the City striker, but he blazed over as Rs defenders scrambled to get a block in.

The second half lacked the freneticism of the first 45 minutes, but with nothing to play for both sides seemed intent on continuing to play attacking football, much to the delight of the 1,056 gathered in the glowing afternoon sunshine at Treyew Road.

Barely fifteen minutes after the restart QPR went two up after Clarke latched on to Doughty’s low cross and slotted home from just inside the six yard box.

The goal seemed to take some of the sting out of the game, until on 69 minutes Torquay loanee Palmer, on for Arran Pugh, thumped an unstoppable volley in at the far post after Walker’s probing free kick caused panic at the back for QPR.

Suddenly City were back in the hunt. Hayles made way for Stewart Yetton, and the City talisman made an immediate impact, chasing down a lost cause down the left wing before lofting a nicely weighted cross to the back post where Afful was inches from connecting.

But then disaster, as Palmer's foul on Rowlands just outside the box saw the QPR midfielder step to dink a delicate free-kick over the wall, the ball cannoning back off the post before hitting the unfortunate Sandercombe and nestling in the back of the net.

After the game QPR reserve team manager Ronnie Jepson claimed it had been his side's toughest test during their tour of the South West.

And though this will go down as a defeat, manager Hodges will quite rightly be proud of the way his players performed, and filled with confidence about the coming season.

Truro City: Tim Sandercombe; Barry McConnell, Scott Walker, Arran Pugh, Steve Adams, Danny Clay, Jake Ash, Marcus Martin, Andrew Watkins, Barry Hayles, Les Afful.