Truro City marked their return to the Duchy after four years away with a tightly contested encounter in front of an impressive home crowd.
Despite a spirited effort from the hosts, they fell short to their opposition, Dorking Wanderers, with a final score of 2-1.
The fixture took place at the newly opened Truro City Stadium, revitalising the atmosphere compared to recent times when home games were bitterly played out with just a handful of fans in attendance.
The National League South opening game, marked by the return of the team to its home turf, had an attendance of 2,676 fans.
This was a commendable figure and surpassed previous fixtures, including the 2007 FA Vase final match against Curzon Ashton at Treyew Road.
The return to the Duchy and the introduction of John Askey as the manager triggered an exciting new chapter for the team historically known as the Tinners.
Both teams entered the fray in almost identical shirts as Dorking, curiously, opted to don their third strip of orange and dark blue.
The contrast between City’s red and black ensemble was minimal and after discussion between both teams, play did begin shortly after 3pm.
Truro's side debutant Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain took the first shot at goal, though was denied by Dorking’s goalkeeper, Harrison Foulkes.
Dorking countered when Jimmy Muitt found the bottom corner despite an apparent foul on Sam Sanders.
Truro was further plunged into distress as Jason Prior on Dorking’s side had his penalty appeals dismissed.
However, Truro responded well, dominating the rest of the first half.
Tyler Harvey made his mark on the scoreboard after 30 minutes, making him the first player to net at the new ground and achieving his 100th league goal in a City shirt.
A well-placed attempt from Andrew Neal sent the ball just wide of Foulkes' left-hand post, closing out the first half.
The second half kicked off with a rapid goal on Dorking's side.
Charlie Carter managed to equal Harvey's effort, thereby tilting the balance in favour of Dorking.
For the rest of the game, Truro fought hard to recover, with contributing efforts from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tom Harrison.
However, none of these attempts were enough to change the tide, and Truro found themselves defeated by their visitors.
Post-match, Truro City boss John Askey, had thoughts to share about the match and the odd instance of the uniform conundrum.
Askey said: "There are mixed emotions.
"We caused Dorking one or two problems, once we got to grips with them after they scored.
"Supposedly (Dorking) are promotion favourites, with a huge budget, so the lads can be proud of what they did."
Despite the loss, Askey remains focused on the future and optimistic about the newfound atmosphere.
He expressed his appreciation for those who ensured Truro’s return to the Duchy.
He also spoke about the match's chaotic start, criticising referees for allowing both teams on the pitch with almost identical colours.
Askey said: "Everybody was getting behind the players and all of a sudden, because of what happened nobody knew what was going on and it went flat, killing the atmosphere for 10 to 15 minutes at the start of the game."
He remained resolute in his determination to drive Truro City forward.
Despite the loss on home ground, Truro City and its supporters remain determined as they look to build positive momentum in their newly inaugurated stadium, marking themselves as a team worth watching throughout the National League South season.
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