Truro City 1 - Forest Green Rovers 1
Luke Jephcott’s late strike ensured relegated Truro City took a point off play-off chasing Forest Green Rovers following a 1-1 draw at the Truro City Stadium in Cornwall.
A largely even affair was punctuated by a red card shown to Abraham Kanu early in the second-half, which reduced the visitors to ten men.
It was they that went in front though, with substitute Tom Knowles ghosting into the box and sweeping home a cross right in front of the travelling supporters.
However, in the closing minutes, Jephcott looked up on the edge of the box and beat goalkeeper Harry Isted with a deflected drive to ensure a share of the spoils.
Tinners manager John Askey opted to make three changes from the Truro side beaten 1-0 at Yeovil Town on Good Friday, a result that sealed their relegation from the National League.
In came Zac Bell, Yassine En-Neyah and Tom Dean, with Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harry Charsley and Ryan Law dropping to the bench.
The in-form Jack Stretton stole an early march and bore down on goal, striking a left footed effort narrowly wide of the mark, before Tom Dean stuck in a crucial foot in defence to halt the progress of Jili Buyabu.
He popped up at the other end with the ball at his feet, drawing a foul from Kanu and winning a free-kick in a handy position that Connor Riley-Lowe lofted onto the roof of the net.
Some concern followed as City custodian Aidan Stone went down off the ball and required treatment. After a few moments, he was deemed fit and able to continue however.
Back on his feet, he was in the box seat to see Will Dean’s cross met by Stretton, who smelt a repeat of his goal of the season contender against Solihull Moors just a few weeks ago.
With his back to goal, the striker met the ball with another acrobatic effort that had the crowd off their feet only for it to skip narrowly wide of Isted’s upright.
With the considerable wind behind them, City made full use of the long throws possessed by Bell. From one such opportunity, he found Freddie Issaka who shot narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Isted was certainly the busier of the two ‘keepers during the opening stanza but Stone was forced more into the game in the second, as Rovers stepped things up a gear.
City remained dangerous though, utilising the long ball to put the visiting defence under pressure. This led, on three occasions, to Kanu and Stretton embarking in a footrace.
The third instance saw the City striker edge just ahead before being hauled down by the Reading loanee, who was shown a straight red card for his professional foul by referee Sam Mulhall.
He had played advantage, permitting the Tinners to continue and Issaka to strike at goal. When Isted tipped his effort onto the crossbar, Mulhall pulled play back and went for his pocket.
Kyle McAllister and Laurent Mendy each fired wide for a Rovers side managed by an increasingly frustrated Robbie Savage, whose temper cooled somewhat when Knowles turned home 15 minutes from time.
Knowles tried his luck again in the minutes that followed, with Stone at full stretch to keep out his long-range effort.
It’s just as well he did as the Tinners laid siege on Isted’s goal late on and got their reward when Jephcott struck into a sea of bodies in the 85th minute, with his shot looping up and into the back of the net.
As the clock ticked down, City won a throw deep down the right channel which came in and was met by Max Kinsey, whose header was cleared off the line by a desperate Rovers backline.
The final chance, inside seven minutes of additional time, fell to Will Dean, who was denied a Hollywood ending when driving inches wide with a well-struck effort just in front of the Eastern Stand.
A long season concludes with a visit to Boston United (April 11) and a last hoorah at home against Carlisle United (April 18), before a final‑day clash at Aldershot Town (April 25).
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