TRURO City were well on their way to securing an instant return to the National League South before the coronavirus caused an untimely end to the 2019/20 campaign.

Paul Wotton’s White Tigers were one point clear at the top of the Southern League Premier South with two games in hand over second-placed Chesham United prior to the suspension amid the Covid-19 outbreak, but the FA’s decision to null and void the campaign means they will have to do it all over again in 2020/21.

After a pre-season that was halted by the surprise departure of manager Paul Wilkinson to crisis club Bury, the White Tigers moved swiftly to appoint former Plymouth Argyle midfielder and assistant manager Wotton.

His first competitive match was a trip to Met Police on the opening day of the season, with first-half goals from Ryan Law, who had joined on loan from Argyle, and Niall Thompson securing a 2-0 win.

They made it two out of two four days later with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Dorchester Town. Harlain Mbayo gave the White Tigers the lead at the break before second half goals from Luke Jephcott and Noah Keats sealed the three points.

Jephcott was another Argyle loanee and the striker provided the sole goal as Truro continued their perfect start with a 1-0 win over Swindon Supermarine, but two defeats to Chesham and Weston-super-Mare over the Bank Holiday weekend brough the White Tigers back down to Earth.

But they bounced back from the disappointment in the best possible fashion, running out comfortable 2-0 winners at Farnborough thanks to a first goal for centre-back James Ward and an emphatic Louis Rooney strike.

League action took a break for a week as Truro squeezed into the next rounds of the FA Cup and the League Cup, with Rooney on hand to score a dramatic 98th minute winner from the penalty spot in their next league game at home to Gosport Borough.

A 2-2 draw with beaten FA Cup opponents Wimborne Town followed in midweek before City squandered a 2-0 lead to lose 5-2 at Hereford in the next round that weekend.

A familiar face was in the Truro squad as they bounced back with a 3-0 win at home to Hayes & Yeading United, with 2018/19 top-scorer Tyler Harvey scoring twice on his first appearance since re-joining the club from Bath City.

Harvey was at it again as Truro enjoyed another three-goal win at Yate Town, before bagging another brace in their 2-1 win at Harrow Borough to stay right on the league leaders’ heels.

An entertaining 3-3 draw at home to fellow title challengers Hendon saw Truro go level at the top, before strikes from Ward and Jephcott ensured they stayed there with a 2-1 win over Hendon.

But a 2-0 loss at Taunton Town and a weather-related postponement of their match at home to Merthyr Town saw them surrender top spot, before a 3-1 defeat at Blackfield & Langley ended their FA Trophy hopes.

Truro hit back to scrape past a battling Hartley Wintney side before gaining revenge over their Trophy conquerors with a 2-0 league win, with Harvey scoring his eighth and ninth goals of the season since his return.

Alex Battle’s strike gave City a 1-0 win at Beaconsfield Town at the end of November, putting Wotton’s side back to the top of the division, before a Harvey hat-trick gave Truro the perfect start to December with a 5-1 hammering of Walton Casuals.

A stunning Jephcott goal in their final game before Christmas proved to be enough for City to secure all three points in a 0-1 win at Hayes & Yeading United to increase their lead at the top to four points, before drawing 3-3 with title rivals Tiverton Town in a Boxing Day classic.

Paul Wotton’s men came from 1-3 down to pull off another stunning comeback to earn a well-deserved point in awful wet conditions.

The unlikely scorers of Harlain Mbayo and Adel Gafaiti were the ones to claw the game back for City after Alex Fletcher had scored twice for Town either side of Will Dean's first White Tigers goal, while former City midfielder River Allen scored a third for the visitors at the start of the second half.

The new year started poorly with a 3-2 defeat to Weston-super-Mare, ensuring the Somerset side had done the double over the White Tigers, only for a 4-0 win at home to Met Police finally get 2020 going four days later.

Goals from Will Swan, Will Dean and Dan Rooney secured Truro’s return to the top of the division with a 3-2 win at Dorchester Town, although they had to withstand a late rally from the side managed by former boss Leigh Robinson.

However, they surrendered that top spot at the first time of asking after a 1-0 home loss to Chesham United, who leapfrogged the White Tigers to the summit.

But the topsy-turvy title race continued seven days later when a 3-1 victory over Swindon Supermarine sent City back to the top once again, before strikes from Harvey and Swan preserved their slender one-point lead with a comeback 2-1 win at home to Farnborough.

But they were hit by another setback a week later, slipping back down to second after a 1-0 loss at Gosport, only to return to the top almost immediately thanks to a 3-0 win at Salisbury ten days later.

City followed that up with an impressive second-half performance in a 4-1 victory at home to Harrow to retain their place at the top of the table, before plundering another four-goal haul from their long trip to Hendon.

Harvey earned City a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at home to Taunton Town in what would be their final game of the season on March 7.

Their next scheduled game at home to Salisbury on March 14 was eventually suspended 24 hours before the slated 3pm kick-off, with the season being brought to its early end 12 days later.