Truro City 1 Brackley 0

City looked to have scrapped their way to a draw, until deep in stoppage time when Brackley skipper Carl Palmer went up for a high ball with opposite number, Martin.

The visiting captain led with his elbow, sending Martin sprawling and prompting referee Jim McCaffrey to show a straight red.

Martin was led from the pitch with blood pouring from an ugly gash above his eye, as the referee struggled to keep control in the wake of justifiably furious protests from City.

But the incident proved to work in the home side’s favour as an extra three minutes of time added on saw Martin Watts float a free kick into the box from wide on the right for Arran Pugh to nod down into the path of Hayles.

And the in-form City striker made no mistake from six yards, hammering a low shot in between the legs of helpless Brackley keeper, Darren Acton, to send the home fans wild.

A delighted Truro City boss Lee Hodges, said: “Brackley are in a false position. I knew they’d be a good team, and I said to the boys before the game if we don’t come out and start right we’ll come unstuck.”

And his assessment proved accurate, as the Northhamptonshire side were on top for large periods, with wingers Owen Story and Francis Green giving Watts and Barry McConnell a torrid time as City struggled to get a foothold in the game.

Captain Martin and fellow midfielder Danny Clay looked out of sorts with passes going astray and the home side side failing to settle into any kind of rhythm. Hayles in particular found himself penalised time and time again after challenging Brackley defender Chris Willmott for aerial balls.

City appeared to be looking for a killer pass rather than utilising wingers Dan Smith and Andy Watkins, who remained subdued for most of the afternoon.

The outcome could easily have been different, as Brackley belied their lowly league position with some incisive attacking football. With the first half ten minutes old, striker Jason Bradley let City off the hook with a scuffed a shot straight into the arms of City keeper Martin Rice.

The striker was clear on goal after Arran Pugh failed to connect properly with a headed clearance, mistiming his jump. City did have their moments, particularly at the beginning of the first half, with Hayles providing a neat lay-off for Watkins on 20 minutes.

The nippy winger twisted and turned in the box, fashioning himself a yard of space before firing a shot that Acton did well to palm away, but the game dissolved into a scrappy affair with possession squandered readily by both sides’ misfiring midfields.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Brackley squeezing the game, and City struggling to keep a leash on both Story and Green. But for all of Brackley’s impressive build up play, the visitors remained utterly toothless up front.

Most of their best chances came from range, with both Story and Green blazing over from outside the box after surging runs from midfield. And it was Story who had perhaps the best chance to get on the score-sheet after a deep cross from wide on the left saw the winger rise above the back- pedalling Pugh to direct a point-blank header at Rice - the keeper parrying brilliantly for a corner.

The game looked to be heading for a draw before Palmer’s ugly challenge on Martin saw the visitors reduced to ten men.

Moments later, Watts’ drifted a free-kick, wide on the right, long to the far post and Pugh, towering above Marcus Bignot, laid the ball off for Hayles.

The former Premiership striker made no mistake with his finish, blasting in from six yards before running to celebrate with delirious City fans behind the goal.

“It was a hard fought battle,” said Hodges afterwards,

“It was a great finish for us to what was a very tight game. In a tight encounter which was probably petering out to a draw we’ve managed to nick a winner.”

With Cambridge City drawing 1-1 at Bashley, the win sees City move two points clear at the top of the Zamaretto Premier League.

Full Zameretto scores were as follows:

Banbury United 0, Salisbury 1

Bashley 1, Cambridge City 1

Chesham 1, Didcot 1

Chippenham 2, Windsor and Eton 2

Cirencester 4, Oxford City 1

Hemel Hempstead 1, Bedford Town 0

Leamington 1, Evesham 0

Stourbridge 7, Weymouth 2

Tiverton 1, Hednesford 2

Truro City 1, Brackley 0