Truro City dropped to 13th in the Conference South table as they were thrashed 5-2 at home by promotion-chasing Basingstoke.

The visitors came into the match on the back of an eight-game unbeaten run and they set about extending that sequence early on as they raced into a 2-0 after 18 minutes.

However, during the first half Truro City offered enough going forward to suggest that they could beat the high-flying Hampshire side managed by former Leeds United defender Frank Gray.

Marcus Martin, returning from injury had proved a menace to the visitors’ defence and when Scott Walker scored a 20th minute penalty the home side looked back in the match.

But a defensive lapse on 29 minutes, one of many from Truro throughout the game, gifted the initiative back to Basingstoke and having regained a two-goal cushion they punished Truro in the second half.

The visitors took the lead after 12 minutes when Stuart Lake's shot from the edge of the box, hit Arran Pugh and looped into the air. It fell kindly for former AFC Wimbledon striker Delano Sam-Yorke and he nodded the ball over a stranded Tim Sandercombe and into the net.

It was a cruel blow for City who had created early chances with Martin heading narrowly wide and Pugh seeing one of his efforts cleared off the line.

However, Tim Sills and strike partner Sam-Yorke were a constant threat to City and put Basingstoke into a 2-0 lead. Playing off the shoulder of the central defenders, Sills timed his run to perfection to latch onto through-ball and hit a first-time shot past the advancing Sandercombe.

A minute later though City were back in the match as Toby Little bundled over Andrew Watkins in the box. It was a silly foul to give away as the City striker was only just inside the penalty area and running into a crowd of Basingstoke defenders. However, there was little protest from the visitors and Walker slammed home the penalty to put the match back in the balance.

Truro came close to equalising on two occasions. First Martin headed an Andrew Taylor cross inches wide of the right hand post and then Walker brought a fine save out of Ashley Bayes with his stinging 35-yard free-kick.

But having got themselves on the front foot, City then failed to deal with a simple cross into the box. Sandercombe and Pugh both went to clear the danger and having got in each other's way the ball dropped to a grateful Nathan Smart, who planted a header into an unguarded net.

Truro threatened early in the second half as Watkins blasted over the top from eight yards out. However, it was a brilliant piece of attacking play that put the match beyond Truro's reach. A long ball was played over the top of City's defence and from 25-yards out Sills hit an unstoppable half-volley over Sandercombe and into the roof of the net, which brought applause from the opposing City fans.

Frustrations then started to grow amongst the home players as Basingstoke took advantage of a lenient referee to crunch into tackles on Afful, Watkins and Hayles.

Hayles, having just returned from suspension, couldn’t hide his anger at official Brett Huxtable and was booked for dissent.

He tried to make amends by sending a 70th minute header towards goal, but it dipped a foot over the crossbar.

And when Hayles saw another of his efforts, this time a fierce shot from less than ten yards out, turned acrobatically round the post by Bayes, it was a sign that it just wasn't going to be Truro's day.

This was proved a minute later when Pugh under-hit a back pass allowing Shaun McAuley to lift a right-foot shot over Sandercombe and into the far corner of the net.

City did pull a goal back in the 88th minute when Afful was tripped in the box. But Walker's second penalty of the afternoon did little to hide Truro’s defensive frailties and a miserable afternoon for the club.

Truro City: Tim Sandercombe, Barry McConnell, Scott Walker, Arran Pugh, Ed Palmer, Joe Broad, Andrew Taylor, Marcus Martin (c), Andrew Watkins, Barry Hayles, Les Afful. Substitutes: Cody Cooke, Steve Adams, Danny Clay, Dan Smith, Stewart Yetton.