(FM'16 Touch) - Managing In An English Football Backwater

[neilhoskins77]

Wednesday 1st July 2015.
Truro, Cornwall, South-West England.

I've been here before, in a previous Football Manager life. I think it was FM'12 or '13 from memory. Not much has changed. Back then, Truro City were in the Blue Square South, and were battling for their lives to stay in the sixth tier when I arrived. Kieffer Moore was just a lanky teenager trying to make his way in the game, some of the players who featured in that three season battle were still around the club now. After two seasons of finishing above the dotted line, and avoiding the drop into oblivion, we ran out of luck, talent and money in the third season, the club unable to keep themselves out of administration, and the point deduction only a contributing factor to our doom. We would have gone down anyway, that's just what Truro do.

You see, this might be Cornwall's biggest football club, but that is just part of the problem. More so than Dorset, Norfolk, Suffolk, even Cumbria, this county is truly England's football backwater. The club has a lack of infrastructure, facilities, prestiege, and money. Every time they drag themselves up into the sixth tier, it's simply a matter of waiting for them to slip straight back from where they came. They've never finished higher than a safe mid table position that was achieved in the early part of this decade, but they were still relegated again within a season or two. As a result of those issues, the club faces a chronic battle to attract players to the club. Out of sight, out of mind I suppose. It was an issue when I was here in that previous life, and the situation hasn't improved as time has moved on. The only players the club can regularly attract are youngsters either looking for loan experience, or who have been released by the 'local' clubs higher up the pyramid. I use the term 'local' fairly loosely. Plymouth Argyle, Torquay United, Exeter City, Bristol City, Yeovil Town. Hardly local in the grand scheme of this small island of ours.

Last season, the club celebrated 125 years of existence, and they celebrated well, achieving a third place finish in the Southern League Premier Division, and earning promotion to the Vanarama League South Division. The Club Chairman, and all around Cornish fella, Pete Masters, is determined to get the club to make it stick this time. They are amongst the favourites for the drop, so it would be reasonable for him to ask his manager to avoid relegation in season one. Not Masters though, who is looking for the club to achieve the safety of mid table, and then he'll check the lay of the land next summer. That's where I come in. The man appointed into the role as City's new manager, and tasked with breathing new life into the Treyew Road outfit. I'll be paid £275 per week on a one year deal with a fairly limited backroom staff, and a wage budget of around £3,720 per week. The club don't have any money to speak off, so I won't be able to spend any money on transfer fees. The loan and free agent markets will be my new best friend.

When I arrive at the club, there is no Scout, so I'm relying on James Pilkington, the 46 year old Director of Football, and Neil Spencer, the 42 year old Head of Youth Development. My Assistant Manager is a recognisable face, 35 year old Wayne Carlisle, a Northern Irishman who played in the Sky Bet Championship for Crystal Palace around the turn of the century, before dropping through the Leagues with Swindon Town, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient, Exeter City and Torquay United. He eventually ended up here, playing for a season, retiring into a backroom position, but then donning the boots a few times again last season when an injury crisis hit. The only other member of staff is Ian Leigh, the clubs Head Physio. His idea of a warm welcome is to venture into the office to let me know that the squad currently has a clean bill of health....oh, and that FC Halifax Town have just offered to double his wages, so he's off. So as well as looking for a Chief Scout, I now need to find a Head Physio as well. I have a suspicion that life may be tough in Cornwall's only City.

*FM'16 Mobile via the iPad. Sunday League Footballer reputation with three nations loaded. England (Premier League through to Vanarama South), Scotland (Premier League through to Ladbrokes League Two) and Republic of Ireland (Premier Division and First Division).
If you have played this method, then you will know that the gameplay is swift, with a lot of the features you get in the main game not available. Buy and sell players, set up training and tactics, play your match, and repeat. As I am playing on the iPad, I won't be able to view highlights after the event, so match accounts will be very brief, and the thread will read as a day by day account of goings on. Let's get cracking. Enjoy.

[neilhoskins77]

Thursday 2nd July 2015.

Clearly, he wasn't bluffing. Ian Leigh, the club's Head Physio, has left the club to join FC Halifax Town. He was exaggerating slightly when he said they had doubled his wages, but he was earning more money with them, and of course, the Vanarama National League club are more prestigious and have better facilities.

The club have announced a shirt sponsor with a company that claims they produce 'Probably The Best Lager In The World....'. They can't be selling too much of it, as they have only given us £10,000 for a one year deal. It takes us into the black, for a few days at least I suspect.

A look at the squad in action in today's training session shows us to be lacking in several key areas, and I don't just mean lacking depth, I mean lacking entirely. We're probably best off at centre back, and worst off at striker, wide players, goalkeepers and then full back. We're ok at centre midfield, but we'll need some help I suspect. We have one player with us on loan, a promising left back from Exeter City by the name of Connor Riley-Lowe. The 19 year old is here for the season, and we're paying around half of his £250 a week salary. He can't be recalled, and is available for Cup matches, which is good, as he is the only left back in the squad right now. 32 year old Jake Ash has just completed ten years at the club, and is the Captain. He is also one of the clubs highest paid players. I'm fairly sure his wages could be spent better elsewhere, but I don't wish to rock the boat too much when I'm this close to the sea.

Arguably the most talented player in the squad who actually belongs to us is 21 year old Isaac Vassell. The clubs top earner at £300 a week, he will fit nicely into my system and provide a bit of versatility as he is comfortable in a number of forward positions, but operates best as a winger on either side. The former Plymouth Argyle youngtser is a bit raw around the edges, but he did score eleven goals to help the club towards promotion last season after arriving on a free transfer last summer. In comparison, centre midfielder Cody Cooke got the same number of goals from less games and in a deeper position, so could be considered to be underpaid. He joined as an 18 year old and has been here ever since, the 22 year old is a key player for the club.

Saturday 11th July 2015.

Dear diary, I am still here, and I have not yet been sacked, though I may be in danger of being prosecuted for claiming money under false pretences, as I have been able to do very little in the last ten days as we still wait for a Scout and Physio to be employed. Instead, the players have been working on their fitness and the formation that I would like them to adopt for our first pre season friendly, a home match with Sky Bet League 2 club, Yeovil Town. They were playing in the Championship just two seasons ago, but two successive relegations have sent them down into the Football League basement. I have not yet given any team or player instructions, no set pieces or set piece takers are set up. I just wanted to watch the players go out and play and see what we had to work with at this point.

Pre-Season Friendly
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Yeovil Town

The gulf in class was evident, as Yeovil amassed 20 shots at goal, five times what we managed. That said, we earned 50% of the possession, and managed to keep the score down to go with it. Our keeper Martin Rice was a bit unfortunate for the opener, he touched a free kick onto the post, but got no help and Ryan Bird slotted the rebound. Even when we made changes, and had players out of position, Yeovil didn't get a second until five minutes from the end, Shaun Jeffers heading home a cross from close range.

Truro City (0) 0.
Yeovil Town (1) 2. (Ryan Bird 17, Shaun Jeffers 85).
Martin Rice; Aaron Bentley (Dan Green 45 - inj - Ollie Knowles 64)), Jamie Richards, Arran Pugh (Shane White 45); Les Afful, Craig Duff, Cody Cooke, Jake Ash (capt) Danny Barrow (Connor Riley-Lowe 45); Bayan Fenwick (Isaac Vassell 45); Matthew Wright (Ryan Brett 64).
Attendance :- 309. MotM :- Max Melanson (Yeovil). Shots :- 4-20. Possession :- 50%-50%.

Ok, so with little instruction, and next to nothing in the way of depth, we didn't even have enough players to fill the subs bench, we had done ok there. Now we would spend some time formulating instructions to players on an individual basis, and the team as a whole. We have a beautiful playing surface at our ground, so it would be a shame to not try and play a bit of football on it.

We have another Football League club arriving to play us in a couple of weeks time, and I'm hoping to get another friendly match arranged for the gap between that and our opening League match. I hope the backroom staff will be complete, and some reinforcements to the playing staff will be available by then.

Friday 17th July 2015.

After a wait of nearly another week, we have half a dozen applicants for the role of Chief Scout. The problem is, that a whole clutch of other clubs are also considering the same guys for the job. The standard isn't too bad, probably around where we would expect for this level. We've wasted enough time now, one of these guys will get the job.

Saturday 18th July 2015.

Our top applicant is offered a contract. Unfortunately, he has offers from three other clubs as well, two of them from the Football League. Anticipating a knock back, and keen to get someone into the role, I contact the second choice applicant, and send him a contract offer.

Meanwhile, we're in danger of losing a player. Tom McHale is our 19 year old backup goalkeeper, and he looks a reasonably promising prospect. But he is without a contract at the moment, and Dorchester Town have come calling offering him First Team football, albeit at a level below. However, they are offering more money than I'm prepared to offer a player who is unlikely to play on any kind of regular basis.

Monday 20th July 2015.

After a day or two to think it over, 36 year old Kieran Bryan accepts our contract offer, and becomes the new Chief Scout at Truro City. The Englishman will be paid £210 a week on a one year deal, making him the third highest paid member of the backroom team after myself and the Director of Football, perhaps a sign of the impact we expect him to have, or a show of our desperation to have someone in place. Either way, the job is done, and our new staff member gets right to work to try and uncover us some talent.

While he does that, I start looking through the scouting files he has brought with him, hoping to find some players within our price range who can be persuaded to move to this corner of the country to play their football.

One of his many gaps to fill in our squad will be that of backup keeper, as Tom McHale has said his goodbyes and moved nearly 150 miles along the coast of Southern England, where he will play for Dorchester Town. I'm sad to see the lad leave, but not sorry that I opted against matching the wages he would receive in Dorset.

Wednesday 22nd July 2015.

My decision to move right onto our second favourite applicant for the Chief Scout role was vindicated on Wednesday. 37 year old Kenny Berry had six offers to chose from in the end, and has taken the role with Sky Bet League 2 side Mansfield Town, rejecting clubs such as Tranmere Rovers and FC Halifax Town, who I'm quickly growing a dislike for already. Berry will be picking up £350 a week, nearly 70% more than we will pay our own Chief Scout, who we suspect we overpaid for.

Thursday 23rd July 2015.

Finally, after over three weeks in the job, and only just over two weeks before the domestic campaign gets underway, we start our visible efforts for player recruitment. A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes, and we're now at the a point where we can start to make offers.

Friday 24th July 2015.

We get a quick response from one of our first offers, and it's a positive one. We approached Plymouth Argyle, who we face next midweek, with an offer to loan a 17 year old striker who is on a Youth contract from them for the season. They have accepted our offer, and should the player join us, they will cover his wages and allow him to play in Cup matches. The option for them to recall the player has also been removed.

Bookmakers 138.com have opened their book on the Vanarama National League South odds for promotion. They have Ebbsleet United as 5/1 favourites, while at 50/1, they see us being involved in a battle at the other end, and they suspect we will fall below the dotted line this season.

Kieran Bryan has returned with a scouting report on a 6'5 nineteen year old keeper. He believes the youngster is below the standard we are looking for, but the reality is he may have to do anyway, as there are not a great deal of options in the scouting files right now as far as goalkeepers are concerned.

Saturday 25th July 2015.

We have six candiates for the Head Physio job, and we offer the job to the best of the bunch. Thankfully, there seems to be less competition here than there was for the Chief Scout job.

Our loan offer for a 17 year old right back from Exeter City, to join the left back we already have from them, has been rejected. They are unwilling to allow him to leave on loan unless they receive a much better financial package. Thankfully, the next day would bring some much needed good news on squad recruitment.

[neilhoskins77]

Sunday 26th July 2015.

17 year old striker Jason Vincent is the first player in through the door since my arrival nearly four weeks ago now. He is 6'1, and pretty physical for his age, and arrives on a season long loan deal from Plymouth Argyle. The backroom staff think that Vincent may blossom as a player while with us, the lad has yet to make his Senior football bow.

Like all good modes of public transport, you wait nearly four weeks, and two come along at once. Later in the same day, another player arrived at the club, also a striker, and also with a Plymouth connection. 23 year old Ashley Yeoman has never been on the books of his hometown club though, it was Torquay United where he made his name, though a lot of his scoring came from a couple of loan spells with Bideford. He has signed a semi-professional contract with the club, and while not quite up there with the top earners, he isn't far behind, and my staff rate him as a quality player at this level. Let's hope they're right.

Monday 27th July 2015.

Our backroom staff is now complete, as 28 year old Charlie Bates signs a contract to become the clubs new Head Physio on a one year deal where he will be paid £170 per week. With the staff roles now all filled, we can concentrate our efforts on the playing staff recruitment now.

Tuesday 28th July 2015.

Another new arrival, and a player I'm hoping will be key for us this season, for more reason than one. 21 year old Jared Sims is a former youngster of Plymouth Argyle's, but the gifted midfielder is a Truro lad, and proudly told the press that when we came in for him, there was never any doubt he would sign. A great team player, and a very good passer of the ball, he can play anywhere through the midfield or wide positions, and signs a one year deal.

Later in the day, when looking through the scouting reports I'd been provided, I happened to ask my assistant Wayne Carlisle if the name Joe Broad meant anything to him. He couldn't stop the smile from creeping across his face, and went on to tell me that Joe was a stalwart at Treyew Road for many seasons, and a real fan favourite at the club. He asked why I enquired, and I threw him a scouting report across the table. I asked Wayne why he left, and he told me that Joe had arrived at the club ten years ago, and played well enough to earn a move to Walsall. It didn't work out, and so he returned, and stayed for nine seasons. But he was gutted when City missed out on promotion right at the death in 2013/14, and didn't sign a new deal, deciding instead to try his luck elsewhere.

By the look of the scouting report, that had not gone to plan, as Joe Broad ended up sitting out last season, and Wayne Carlisle told me I could do a lot worse than try and bring him back to the club. I called Joe, and met up with him for a quick chat, before inviting him tomorrow's match against Plymouth Argyle, the club he had started his career with fifteen years ago. He accepted the invite, and we would meet up again before the match for a chat.

Wednesday 29th July 2015.

After half hour in Joe Broad's company, and with a bumper crowd attending the match, it was pretty clear that he was still held in very high esteem by the Truro City faithful. There were plenty of fans wishing him well, and asking him when he would be getting back into the game. He was polite, smiling and telling them he didn't know at this point. Joe would watch the match in the clubs rather basic corportate facilities at Treyew Road.

Pre Season Friendly
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Plymouth Argyle

This was almost a replay of the match against Yeovil, though Plymouth were arguably another notch better again in my opinion. I moved us from the 3-5-1-1 we played last time out, and we lined up in a 4-2-3-1 for this match. To be honest, it was difficult to gauge how much difference it actually made, as Plymouth passed their way through us and created chances far too easily. That may be doing a little bit of a dis-service to our defence, who along with Martin Rice in goal managed to keep the score down once again. Craig Tanner netted around ten minutes in and again with around ten minutes to go to send our nearest professional neighbours back up the coast with a win.

Truro City (0) 0.
Plymouth Argyle (1) 2. (Craig Tanner 9,79).
Martin Rice (capt); Les Afful (Dan Green 65), Aaron Bentley (Arran Pugh 65), Jamie Richards (Shane White 65), Connor Riley-Lowe; Jared Sims (Craig Duff 65), Cody Cooke (Jake Ash 65); Isaac Vassell, Bayan Fenwick, Danny Barrow (Ryan Brett 65); Ashley Yeoman (Jason Vincent 65).
Attendance :- 779. MotM :- Craig Tanner (Plymouth). Shots :- 2-29. Possession :- 50%-50%.

Isaac Vassell bruised his head in the first half, but stayed on for the remainder of the match. I didn't expect that to cause too much of an issue, but apparently the injury was caused by an accidental elbow, and Vassell will now be out for around two weeks. That means he'll miss the final pre season friendly that has just been arranged for Monday evening against Elburton Villa, an amateur side who are going to travel down from Plymouth to give us one last tune up match.

Joe Broad came up to my office again after the match. He said he could see what we were trying to do with the tactics, and that he was itching to get involved. I offered him a contract on the spot. He signed it on the spot. Fan favourite and combative midfielder Joe Broad is back at Treyew Road!

[neilhoskins77]

Saturday 1st August 2015.

A week before the domestic season begins, and we have one final friendly to play on Monday evening. This was now our final push before we got underway, and it was going to be a busy weekend of player arrivals I hoped. It kicked off with a loan arrival, our second in the left back position. James Pilkington, the clubs Director of Football, worked jointly with the Scout, and called in a favour to get us a six month loan of 17 year old Harvey Swann from Cowdenbeath of Ladbrokes League One in Scotland. He's much more defensive minded than Connor Riley-Lowe, and offers a good alternative to him, with great pace and superb teamwork.

I was having trouble making a decision between two goalkeepers, and in the end, I signed them both. The first would arrive later on Saturday, as the keeper my Scout had warned me off signing joined the club on a non contract basis. Nathan Dennis does need a lot of work, but the former Forest Green Rovers player is 6'5, and that's hard to ignore when I was struggling to find quality keepers to bring into the club. He's likely to be sent to the Reserves to develop, but I think he's worth a shot.

Sunday 2nd August 2015.

A trio of players arrived on Sunday, the first of which was the other keeper that I couldn't choose between. Dylan Castanheira is a 19 year old American who doesn't have the size of Nathan Dennis, but has the core skills that a keeper needs, like great reflexes and decision making. Holder of a Portuguese passport, which meant he didn't need a work permit, he has spent the last few years learning his craft with Bristol City. Like his rival, he is also on a non contract deal.

From the other side of the divide in Bristol, comes a right back to compete with Dan Green, and Les Afful as well who will likely switch between forward and defence. Louis Ezewele is the second signing of the day, another 19 year old who could be the equivalent on the right side to Harvey Swann's arrival on the left. Ezewele relies on his positioning a great deal, as his pace is poor for a full back, however, at 6'4 he offers enough versatility to make him a worthwhile signing. Again, it's a non contract deal, we don't have any other options right now.

Completing the trio of teenage signings was George Russell. He arrives on the same type of deal, and is hopefully a solution to the problem shadow striker role. Bayan Fenwick has been playing there so far, and doing a good job as well, but George is much more adept at the role, and will hopefully spark us into life a bit in attack. He is a product of the youth system of Yeovil Town.

Monday 3rd August 2015.

The day of our final pre season friendly arrives, but before that, there are a last important club decision to make, the decision of who would be Truro City Captain and Vice Captain this season. Jake Ash was currently the man in possession of the armband, and I decided to leave Ash in place as the Club Captain. There was no deputy in place right now, the person who held that position last season has since left the club. I left myself a straight choice between local lad Jared Sims, and fan favourite Joe Broad. I figured we were in for a difficult campaign, so it might be a good idea to get some fans on my side, and appointed Broad to the role.

Pre Season Friendly
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Elburton Villa

A match that provided the confidence boost that the side needed before the League starts. Danny Barrow kicked us off with a half volley from a Les Afful cross, and Ashley Yeoman doubled the lead with a placed shot after cutting inside a defender. We shipped a goal right on half time, which would prove a wake up call. Jason Vincent slotted home from the spot after being fouled himself in the act of shooting, and very late on, Geroge Russell slammed a volley into the bottom corner after Ryan Brett had worked hard to stop the ball going out and then finding the new signing with a cross into the centre. A good evening's work for us.

Truro City (2) 4. (Danny Barrow 12, Ashley Yeoman 20, Jason Vincent 48 pen, George Russell 90).
Elburton Villa (1) 1. (Russell Douglas 45).
Martin Rice (Dylan Castanheira 45); Dan Green (Louis Ezewele 45), Jamie Richards (Arran Pugh 45), Aaron Bentley (Shane White 45), Connor Riley-Lowe (Harvey Swann 45); Jared Sims (Cody Cooke 45), Joe Broad (capt - Jake Ash 45); Les Afful (Craig Duff 64), Bayan Fenwick (George Russell 45), Danny Barrow (Ryan Brett 45); Ashley Yeoman (Jason Vincent 45).
Attendance :- 135. MotM :- Ashley Yeoman (Truro). Shots :- 13-6. Possession :- 53%-47%.

Tuesday 4th August 2015.

With the squad building complete, it is now time to start moving out some players who are deemed surplus to requirements at the club, and the most high profile, and well paid of those, is Aaron Dawson. The 23 year old is earning £250 per week, yet isn't good enough in the right back role he is best at, and our system doesn't employ a defensive midfielder where he would also be in his element. If we can sell him and put some money back into the club, that would be great, and if we get his salary off the weekly wage bill, that would put us back under the budget I have been given by the Board to spend. Therefore, Dawson goes onto the transfer list.

[neilhoskins77]

Saturday 8th August 2015.

What you really need on the day of your managerial debut is a reminder from the Board of what they're expecting this season. I'm sure they meant well, but it's not exactly great timing. We start our season away from home against another side who won promotion last season. Maidstone United are not expected to be dragged into a relegation battle this season, they are predicted to be safe in mid table, exactly what the Board have reminded me they want us to achieve.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone, Kent
Maidstone United v Truro City

An entertaining start to the campaign, but we came away with nothing. After falling behind fairly early to a drive from Charles Banya, we managed to get ourselves level before the break, Les Afful cutting into the box from the wing, and his shot was deflected by the keeper into the net. Jake Simpson put Maidstone back in front with a close range shot after a corner was knocked down, and Banya netted a second a little while later. We weren't quite dead and buried, Danny Barrow fired home Afful's cross to the far post with 20 minutes remaining, but we couldn't find the equaliser and would make the near 300 mile trip home empty handed.

Maidstone United (1) 3. (Charles Banya 11,64, Jake Simpson 51).
Truro City (1) 2. (Les Afful 31, Danny Barrow 70).
Martin Rice; Dan Green, Jamie Richards, Aaron Bentley (Louis Ezewele 68), Connor Riley-Lowe (Jason Vincent 78); Joe Broad (capt - Cody Cooke 68), Jared Sims; Les Afful, George Russell, Danny Barrow; Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 2,043. MotM :- Charles Banya (Maidstone). Shots :- 18-8. Possession :- 47%-53%.

The bad news was that we came away with nothing. The good news was that just one match in, we has navigated one of our long journeys of the season, a round trip of nearly 600 miles and ten hours on the bus in total. The players were buying into the system, and had more of the ball, though not by much. When we have the ball, the opposition can't score, something that is being drilled into the players. Going forward, we looked ok. Defensively, we still have some work to do. But it's early days, and we'll play more poorly than this and come away with something, of that I'm quite sure. Our wingers both took their goals well.

Sunday 9th August 2015.

The ticket office have let us know that they have sold 75 season tickets for the season. The first game on those tickets is coming up in midweek, a home League match with St Albans, who drew on the opening day at home to Whitehawk. The journey they face is almost as long as the one we had on the weekend, but they have to undertake it on a weekday. When we're at home, our location could well give us an advantage, but when we're away from home, it will be quite the opposite I suspect.

Monday 10th August 2015.

Despite the defeat on Saturday afternoon, right sided utility player Les Afful is named in the Vanarama South Team of the Week. Meanwhile, word at Treyew Road is that a solid, if not spectacular attendance is expected for our first competitive home match since our promotion in the spring.

Tuesday 11th August 2015.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v St Albans City

There really isn't a great deal to tell you about this match. On a pleasant evening to play football, a rotated side did a decent job, but never really managed to create the good chances our play merited. The best chance came late on when Ashley Yeoman had been introduced as a sub. He got onto a reverse pass played by Cody Cooke, but fired his shot right at Joe Welch, and that was the closest to a clear cut chance either side managed. Still, it felt good to have the first point on the board.

Truro City (0) 0.
St Albans City (0) 0.
Martin Rice; Louis Ezewele, Arran Pugh, Aaron Bentley (Jake Ash 66), Connor Riley-Lowe; Joe Broad (capt - Craig Duff 66), Cody Cooke; Isaac Vassell, Bayan Fenwick, Ryan Brett; Jason Vincent (Ashley Yeoman 66).
Attendance :- 431. MotM :- Arran Pugh (Truro). Shots :- 5-6. Possession :- 55%-45%.

You can see where we're going to have the financial issues compared to the other clubs in the League right away after one home match and one away. We are getting only 20% of the attendance that Maidstone managed, and we're charging the same price for a ticket. We have less than one hundred season ticket holders, they have 1,100. Thats how they have players earning £500 a week, and we only have one earning over £250 a week. It's a numbers game, and we're going to be fighting it all season, and beyond I'm sure.

Bayan Fenwick was the only debutant for us in that match, and the forward acquitted himself quite well in the shadow striker role. With two games played in the League season, already there was only one club with a 100% record, and that was Sutton United, who had beaten Dartford and Basingstoke Town without conceding a goal. I mention that only as those two clubs provide our next two opponents.

Thursday 13th August 2015.

Wayne Carlisle has reported that there have been no takers for Aaron Dawson on the transfer market, and also that third choice keeper Nathan Dennis is unhappy with the high training workload he is being given. Dennis will hopefully be happier when the Reserves start their fixtures so he can get some games under his belt, and the training will then be adjusted accordingly. The players will be glad when the training can be reduced a bit I'm sure, as Saturday will see us travel to Kent for the second weekend in a row, meaning another long stint on the bus for the players. If Pete Masters wins the lottery soon, I hope he invests in a private jet for the squad to use.

Saturday 15th August 2015.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Princes Park, Dartford, Kent
Dartford v Truro City

The squad was rotated through once more, but this outing fell short of our effort in Kent last weekend. We still had plenty of the ball, but we couldn't cut a route through our hosts defence. That said, we did look good defensively for over an hour, restricting Dartford's chances. When tiredness crept in and changes need to be made, we were cut open within 90 seconds, Andy Pugh heading home a cross. We lost Jared Sims to injury a few minutes later and had to reorganise a little, and it went downhill from there when Lee Noble doubled the lead with a shot from range. Disappointing.

Dartford (0) 2. (Andy Pugh 65, Lee Noble 72).
Truro City (0) 0.
Martin Rice; Les Afful, Arran Pugh, Jamie Richards, Harvey Swann; Joe Broad (capt - Jake Ash 64), Jared Sims (inj - Jason Vincent 69); Isaac Vassell, George Russell (Cody Cooke 64), Danny Barrow; Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 1,162. MotM :- Andy Pugh (Dartford). Shots :- 10-6. Possession :- 46%-54%.

Jared Sims has a strained wrist that will keep him out of the side for the next fortnight. These road trips back and forth across the south of the country will become more bearable if we have some points to take back to Truro with us. On the day where other results meant we had sunk to the bottom of the table, a captive audience who just happened to be stuck on a bus for five or so hours were told that I didn't want them to lose heart, but to believe in what we were all trying to achieve, and realise the importance of making our own home ground a fortress as our form there would be key to reaching our goals this season.

[neilhoskins77]

Wednesday 19th August 2015.

We have a week between games, which is great, but in midweek the Reserves start their campaign, and their fixture list doesn't get any harder than the opener, an away match against the second string of new Premier League club, AFC Bournemouth. It was a baptism of fire at Fawcetts Field for Nathan Dennis and the other fringe First Team players who had been made available for the Reserves, as they were thrashed 8-0. Ouch!

Saturday 22nd August 2015.

After that speech on the bus, the first chance the players had to show they taken any notice was at home to a Basingstoke Town side who had only managed to earn two points so far, both from draws at home. Their other match had been a defeat away to Sutton United. If we could put a win on the board today, we would be leapfrogging at least one club and be off the bottom of the table.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Basingstoke Town

It was a wet and windy Saturday in our little corner of the country, but the clubs highest attendance of the season, just, had some champagne football to enjoy. On a slick surface, we passed the ball around beautifully, finding our wingers at will. There were just three minutes on the clock when Isaac Vassell found Ashley Yeoman with a cross that the striker headed home from close range. Danny Barrow doubled the lead with a shot from a narrow angle after cutting into the box from his wing. Basingstoke quickly got one back though to bring back jitters, Jay Gasson headed home a corner at the near post. But just over ten minutes into the second half, Vassell skinned his marker and delivered another cross, this time towards the penalty spot, and picked out George Russell who fired low into the bottom corner. I staggered the substitutions to try and make sure concentration levels didn't drop, and we had our first three pointer on the board, a win born out of our ability to keep possession of the ball.

Truro City (2) 3. (Ashley Yeoman 3, Danny Barrow 19, George Russell 56).
Basingstoke Town (1) 1. (Jay Gasson 21).
Martin Rice; Louis Ezewele (Les Afful 72), Arran Pugh, Jamie Richards, Connor Riley-Lowe; Joe Broad (capt - Jake Ash 84), Bayan Fenwick (Cody Cooke 60); Isaac Vassell, George Russell, Danny Barrow; Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 433. MotM :- Isaac Vassell (Truro). Shots :- 11-9. Possession :- 65%-35%.

It's certainly easier to win a match when you possession of the ball for two thirds of the game, but Bayan Fenwick was a revelation playing in the middle two alongside Joe Broad as he stepped in for the injured Jared Sims. But there was no denying that Isaac Vassell deserved his man of the match award on the right wing. He was a constant nuisance to the Basingstoke defence, and his crossing was pinpoint. With other results, we were not just off the bottom, we were out of the bottom three.

It was so encouraging to see the lads passing the ball around in that manner. Hopefully we can push on and make performances like that the new normal for us, especially at home. It's going to be a tough finish to the month for us though, as we move into an away midweek match, so we're now the ones facing the long midweek trek. That's then followed by another home match next Saturday.

Sunday 23rd August 2015.

It's Margate next, surely it would be just as easy for me to live in Kent? They are the third team promoted into the Vanarama South last season with ourselves and Maidstone United. They have managed two wins and two losses so far. A scouting report lets us know that they can be got at down the wide areas, but we do need to keep an eye on their top scorer Luke Moore, who has three goals already this season.

Monday 24th August 2015.

The team of the week is announced, and two of our players are included, with George Russell and Isaac Vassell both named in that lineup.

Tuesday 25th August 2015.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Hartsdown Park, Margate, Kent
Margate v Truro City

A balmy evening on the south-east coast, though I had trouble keeping my mind on the match. I always associate Margate with cult comedy 'Only Fool's and Horses' and the old 'Jolly Boys Outing' episode. Margate have an International in their ranks, Sofiane El Bekri is currently part of Algeria's age group side. His service was limited though as once more, we had the lions share of possession. Margate lost top scorer Luke Moore just before the break, which didn't do our chances any harm at all. For all our possession however, we would only create one clear opening at goal, twenty minutes from time, Jason Vincent headed down a cross, and Cody Cooke pulled the trigger. He fired a yard wide of goal though, and this match would finish goalless.

Margate (0) 0.
Truro City (0) 0.
Martin Rice; Louis Ezewele (Isaac Vassell 69), Aaron Bentley, Jake Ash (capt), Connor Riley-Lowe; Cody Cooke (Joe Broad 76), Craig Duff; Les Afful, Bayan Fenwick (Ashley Yeoman 76), Ryan Brett; Jason Vincent.
Attendance :- 887. MotM :- Connor Riley-Lowe (Truro). Shots :- 6-5. Possession :- 39%-61%.

It really was much better to travel back across the south of the country with at least a share of the spoils. We were now up to 14th place, and with our next match at home against a side in the relegation zone, things were certainly starting to look brighter for us.

Thursday 27th August 2015.

Jared Sims is back in full training, and is available if required for Saturday's home League match with against Havant & Waterlooville. He had failed a fitness test to be available for Tuesday evening's match in Margate.

Saturday 29th August 2015.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Havant & Waterlooville

Another home match, and another record attendance as we push ever closer to the 500 mark. It was windy for this match, but of course, that doesn't impact us too much when we generally keep the football on the deck. The slow and steady tactic didn't exactly mean that we were creating a great deal of chances, but the most important thing was that when one did arrive, we took it. Danny Barrow got on the end of an Isaac Vassell cross, and aimed his shot just inside the near post. Ryan Young pushed it away, but Ashley Yeoman was following up, and slotted the loose ball home. Three matches unbeaten, and into the top half of the table. Happy Bank Holiday weekend!

Truro City (0) 1. (Ashley Yeoman 54).
Havant & Waterlooville (0) 0.
Martin Rice; Les Afful, Arran Pugh, Jamie Richards, Connor Riley-Lowe; Joe Broad (capt - Jake Ash 67), Craig Duff (Bayan Fenwick 45); Isaac Vassell, George Russell (Cody Cooke 67), Danny Barrow; Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 465. MotM :- Arran Pugh (Truro). Shots :- 14-7. Possession :- 62%-38%.

Of the fourteen shots we took, only one found the target, but on this day, it was enough to get us the win. Eight points from our first six matches of the campaign, and it hasn't been too bad a start at all eventually. Obviously at this point, it's a little too early to be reading too much into the League table, but if we can stay around the area we are now, then the Board will be happy, the fans will be happy, and hopefully we can start finding ways to convert that to some more money in our bank account.

[neilhoskins77]

Tuesday 1st September 2015.

The Board are pleased with our start to the season, especially the win over Basingstoke. They were less happy with the defeat in Dartford, and the club losing nearly £15,000 in the last month. They are however happy with the clubs League position and the squad harmony. They are not as happy with the wage budget overspending, though they are not considering it a major issue yet.

Wednesday 2nd September 2015.

The Reserves have another outing, this time at home against Yeovil Town Reserves. They did manage to to avoid conceding abother hatful of goals this time, but they still lost 3-1 at Treyew Road.

Saturday 5th September 2015.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Priory Lane, Eastbourne, East Sussex
Eastbourne Borough v Truro City

The battle between a club in the relegation zone, and one who everyone expected would be in it. And what a spectacle it produced as well. By the time Elliott Romain fired Boro into a ninth minute lead, we'd already lost Danny Barrow to injury. Ashley Yeoman levelled with a sidefooted finish from an Isaac Vassell cross midway thorugh the half, but a second change had been made by then when Les Afful was forced off with a knock. Gavin McCallum put Boro back in front early in the second half, Connor Riley-Lowe crucially missing a chance to head clear, but we replied right away, Vassell cutting in from the left wing he was occupying after our reshuffle, and firing home at the second attempt. Within a minute, Lewis Wilson put Boro ahead for a third time. In the 73rd minute, George Russell netted from close range to bring us level once more, but ten minutes later, Romain looked to have finished what he started, speeding through our defence and slotting under Martin Rice to make it 4-3. The points weren't safe though, and as the clock struck 90, Russell collected the ball on the corner of the box and unleashed a shot that found it's way into the net off the inside of the post. And breathe!

Easbourne Borough (1) 4. (Elliott Romain 9,83 Gavin McCallum 47, Lewis Wilson 51).
Truro City (1) 4. (Ashley Yeoman 23, Isaac Vassell 50, George Russell 73,90).
Martin Rice; Les Afful (inj - Bayan Fenwick 16), Arran Pugh, Jamie Richards, Connor Riley-Lowe; Joe Broad (capt), Jared Sims; Isaac Vassell, George Russell, Danny Barrow (inj - Jake Ash 2); Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 310. MotM :- Isaac Vassell (Truro). Shots :- 12-24. Possession :- 43%-57%.

Tenacious. Determined. Gutsy. All words that were perfectly apt to describe that performance from the players. It would have been easy for them to let their heads go down after falling behind and losing two players to injury all within the opening twenty minutes. Instead the lads buckled down, and came away with a precious point, and our unbeaten streak is increased to four matches.

The result was better than the injury news. Danny Barrow has a sprained ankle, and will miss the next 7-9 weeks according to the physio. Meanwhile, Les Afful has a groin strain, and he will be out for around four weeks. Our small squad is not well equipped to deal with injuries, as our Reserve side is bare until we get a Youth Intake in the Spring.

Isaac Vassell took the plaudits for his performance. He was forced to switch to the left wing early after Danny Barrow's injury, and as well as finding the net himself, he also set up two other goals. The second injury forced George Russell out to the right wing, where he was also superb, especially with the shot he produced for that late, late equaliser that earned us a point.

Sunday 6th September 2015.

That match against Eastbourne Borough yesterday afternoon has produced a new record high for the Vanarama South for goals in a game.

Monday 7th September 2015.

It wasn't too much of a surprise to see both Isaac Vassell and George Russell named in the Vanarama South Team of the Week. There were two Eastbourne Borough players in there as well, Elliott Romain and Lewis Wilson.

Tuesday 8th September 2015.

We now have two home games in five days, with the first coming at home to Oxford City, who currently sit in third place. Despite home advantage, we're very much the underdogs for this match against one of the clubs who are considered dark horses for a Playoff spot. Former Truro City player and manager, Lee Hodges, tells The Daily Mirror that he would not be looking forward to facing Isaac Vassell, given his current form.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Oxford City

Reality bit us on the backside, and brought us down to earth with a bump. It took us down several pegs in the League as well. It was men against boys, and Matty Whichelow gave Oxford the lead shortly before the break, sweeping the ball high into the net after our defence stood statuesque while defending a free kick. Bayan Fenwick lost the ball in midfield midway through the second half, and we were cut open once more, Bradley Bubb continuing his fine goalscoring exploits so far this season. Then, with injury time already ticked through into an unscheduled extra minute, Marlon Johnson hammered the final nail into our coffin, sprinting through our lacklustre defence, and curling the ball beyond the reach of Martin Rice. We'll need to learn a lesson from this match.

Truro City (0) 0.
Oxford City (1) 3. (Matty Whichelow 39, Bradley Bubb 67, Marlon Jackson 90+3).
Martin Rice; Louis Ezewele, Aaron Bentley (Jake Ash 70), Arran Pugh (capt), Harvey Swann; Cody Cooke, Bayan Fenwick (Cody Cooke 70); Isaac Vassell, George Russell (Jason Vincent 70), Ryan Brett; Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 453. MotM :- Marlon Jackson (Oxford). Shots :- 8-12. Possession :- 59%-41%.

The fans were not happy, and neither was I. They picked out Martin Rice, Harvey Swann and Ryan Brett for critisism, and I agreed with them entirely. Rice was guilty of poor positioning, particularly for the first goal. His distribution of the ball wasn't too clever either. Young full back Harvey Swann showed that he is not up to First Team football at this level, and if we had another left back in the squad, I would terminate his loan and send him back on the long trek north of the border. As for Ryan Brett, he has a great chance to claim the left wing spot with Danny Barrow out injured. Instead, he put in a shocking performance that was compounded by earning a booking for diving, right in front of the dugouts.

That outing had pushed us six places down the League in one swoop, and all the good work we had done with our unbeaten run to keep ourselves away from the dotted line, has been undone with one poor showing. That's an example of how quickly things can change in this League, particularly the very congested bottom half. We need to bounce back as soon as possible, and will have a chance to do that at home on Saturday.

Saturday 12th September 2015.

Another home match, this time against the media's pick to win this League this season, Ebbsfleet United. They haven't been in fine form though, and sit in 8th place at the start of the day. It was our form I was more interested in though, and I really needed the lads to bounce back after Tuesday night's poor display. Dan Green was recalled to play at right back, but it was Martin Rice who was the biggest casualty, the first choice keeper is dropped, and American youngster Dylan Castanheira is drafted in to step up, and will be making his Senior football bow.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Ebbsfleet United

The temperature is starting to drop in our south west corner of the country, and there was a palpabale sense of spirits deflating when just five minutes in, Joe Howe sent in a cross, and Sean Shields headed home his first goal of the season. This Ebbsleet side are not bullet proof though, and we slowly started to take control of the match, and then wound the screw on our visitors tighter and tighter. Jake Ash sent a free kick inches past the post, Isaac Vassell drove down the right channel of the box and sent a shot just over the angle of post and cross bar. We added another striker to the mix, and it looked a matter of time before we clinched at least a point, but when the best chance arrived, Brandon Hall got enough of a fingertip to Ashley Yeoman's shot to divert it against the base of the post. Biased I may be, but we deserved better from this one in my opinion.

Truro City (0) 0.
Ebbsfleet United (1) 1. (Sean Shields 5).
Dylan Castanheira; Dan Green (Jason Vincent 81), Jamie Richards, Jake Ash (capt), Connor Riley-Lowe (Aaron Bentley 81); Joe Broad, Jared Sims; Isaac Vassell, George Russell, Ryan Brett (Bayan Fenwick 70); Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 451. MotM :- Joe Howe (Ebbsfleet). Shots :- 7-8. Possession :- 59%-41%.

It was hard to put on a brave face after that one. We didn't get what we deserved, and I could only hope that lady luck would compensate us somewhere down the line. As it was, we were now back in the relegation zone, sat in 20th place. We needed to turn it around as soon as possible to stop the players getting disheartened. Once that happened, we would surely become entrenched in the dogfight.

Monday 14th September 2015.

Maybe a distraction would be a good thing? If that was going to be case, then the FA Cup was as good a way to be sidetracked as any. And if not, it could serve as a fast track to the job centre, as the Board are expecting us to make it to the Fourth Qualifying Round, so we need two wins in this competition to satisfy them. If we don't manage that, then combined with struggling near the wrong end of the League table, I could find myself having plenty of spare time to learn how to surf. So when the draw was made on Monday morning for the Second Qualifying Round, we were hoping for a favourable tie. We were made to wait as well, as we were in the final ten teams to be drawn. Our wait gave us an away tie against Essex club Billericay Town, who play in the Isthmian League Premier Division. We'll travel to face them on Saturday 26th September.

[neilhoskins77]

Wednesday 16th September 2015.

Our Reserves are back in action along the coast against the second string side of Torquay United. For the third time in succession they were thoroughly outplayed, and lost 3-1. It's very difficult to see what the club are getting out of being in this Reserve League, and I can't do anything to help that situation, as we don't have any kids to watch progress, or any fringe squad players who can enhance the second string side.

Friday 18th September 2015.

Kieran Bryan has submitted some new scouting files for us to take a look at, but it is slim pickings to choose from. There are very few players who are interested in playing at Treyew Road, and those that would consider coming down here to play their football are looking for more money than we can afford.

Saturday 19th September 2015.

At a little over four hours away, our trip to Maidenhead is our shortest away trip so far, and this match against Hayes & Yeading United is the first of an away double header. Our hosts are right on the halfway point of the table that we were occupying ourselves just a few short weeks ago. There won't be much of a reception for us when we get there, York Road has been deserted this season, and United have the lowest average attendance in the League by some margin.

The welcome has turned a little frosty back in Truro as well. Lee Hodges has had his say again, telling FourFourTwo that the clubs poor form is concerning, and that Truro's football fans deserve better. He went on to suggest that another poor result could have people starting to question if I'm the man for the job after all. Now I'm wondering if Hodges actually has the best interests of the club at heart, or if the currently out of work manager has designs on the hotseat at Treyew Road and is starting to try and plant the seeds of doubt, and will pounce if I'm eased out of that seat.

I don't like what he's saying, but I do know that he may be right, and there are changes coming for this trip, changes that go beyond personnel, as we look to change up the formation to try and hit the reset button. We abandoned our efforts to spread the ball wide, and moved a modified version of a 4-3-3. We would operate with three central midfielders, which should continue our high possession game. An attacking midfielder would sit in front of them, providing a link to a now double pronged strike force. Aaron Dawson is back into the fold as well. With no interest in the defender, and us still paying his wages, we may as well make use of him, and he comes into the side at right back.

Vanarama National League, South Division
York Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire
Hayes & Yeading United v Truro City

Right from the off, the formation looked solid, and there didn't appear to be too much harm being done by leaving the wings a little more exposed. That said, we still trailed by a goal at the break, Josh Scott finding the bottom corner of the net ten minutes before the interval. We'd done ok, and get a reward, albeit slightly fortuitously, around the hour mark. Connor Riley-Lowe floated in a corner kick, Jamie Williams made a spectacular attempt at a volley that seemed to be flying well off target until it struck Luke Williams and deflected past his own keeper to level the score. If that goal had a touch of luck about it, the winner was every bit as fortunate. Josh Scott's effort was heading for the bottom corner, but Dylan Castanheira was being it all the way, until it took a huge deflection off Riley-Lowe, and headed right into the opposite bottom corner. That one was a bit tough to take, as we had the better of the match overall.

Hayes & Yeading United (1) 2. (Josh Scott 35,68).
Truro City (0) 1. (Luke Williams 61 o.g).
Dylan Castanheira; Aaron Dawson, Jamie Richards, Aaron Bentley, Connor Riley-Lowe; Joe Broad (capt - Matthew Wright 82), Jared Sims (Cody Cooke 68), George Russell; Isaac Vassell (Bayan Fenwick 68); Jason Vincent, Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 100. MotM :- Josh Scott (Hayes & Yeading). Shots :- 7-14. Possession :- 43%-57%.

That's our third defeat in a row, and means we're now only one from the bottom of the table. Worse than that, out of this double header of away games, this match had been likely the best opportunity to add to our points total, as the next match was a very tricky looking away fixture to high flying Wealdstone.

Aaron Dawson made his club debut, and it was a solid outing for the 23 year old at right back. I removed him from the transfer list, and will make use of having him around, but we still need to look at what we're going to do to address the wage budget issue ready for when we get to the transfer window in January.

Tuesday 22nd September 2015.

Batten down the hatches, and prepare for incoming. That was the warning for Tuesday evening's trip to face Wealdstone, who currently occupy third place in the table. We're long odds to come away with anything at all from this one, and we'll need to be at our best to move away from our current lowly League position.

Vanarama National League, South Division
Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip, North-West London
Wealdstone v Truro City

It looked like groundhog day when James Walker slotted the home side into a 17th minute lead, and those who had placed their hard earned on the skinny odds available to back a Wealdstone win would have smiles on their faces. Those smiles would disappear quickly, as we roared back into the match. Firstly, a quick equaliser, a goalmouth scramble following a corner, the ball spinning out of the melee of players and into the path of Jared Sims, who slammed it low into the corner from the edge of the box to get his first goal for the club after coming on early for the injured George Russell. Then Isaac Vassell brought a tremendous save from Jonathan North, but the ball got trapped between both and the post. It didn't stay there long, Ashley Yeoman slid in to apply the finish and put us in front. Before the half was out, we had a bit of a cushion too, Bayan Fenwick sending a diagonal cross ball through he defence, and Vassell applied the finish. We were much more cautious in the second half, acutely aware we couldn't afford to blow the lead. By the last few minutes, we were pulled right back into a defensive formation, but Wealdstone couldn't find a way through, and we had our first away win of the season.

Wealdstone (1) 1. (James Walker 17).
Truro City (3) 3. (Jared Sims (21, Ashley Yeoman 36, Isaac Vassell 43).
Dylan Castanheira; Louis Ezewele, Arran Pugh, Jake Ash (capt), Connor Riley-Lowe (Dan Green 77); Cody Cooke (Joe Broad 77), Bayan Fenwick, Craig Duff; George Russell (inj - Jared Sims 12); Isaac Vassell, Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 804. MotM :- Isaac Vassell (Truro). Shots :- 6-14. Possession :- 48%-52%.

A superb performance, and a very valuable three points. The win lifts us back up to 18th in the League, and among the sides pushed down into the relegation zone are Hemel Hempstead Town, who react by sacking Dean Brennan right after the match, the clubs poor League position cited as the primary reason. They were predicted to finsh around halfway, and cleary their Chairman has decided to make the move when there is plenty of time left in the season for the successor to do something for them. The immediate favourite to be that successor is Dutchman and former midfielder, Richard Sneekes, who is currently in charge of Northern Premier League side Rushall Olympic.

I was very aware that it was a fate that could befall myself if I couldn't keep Truro clear of that relegation zone, but it looks like I have a resonably understanding Chairman. When these kind of occassions occur, the press like to speculate on who would be next to find themselves out of a job in this Division, and I was relieved as much as anything to see my name was nowhere near the top three of that particular list at this point in time. It hadn't quite been the perfect day for us, George Russell had a dead leg that forced him off the park early, and he would now be unlikely to feature in Saturdays trip to Billericay for our opening FA Cup tie of this season.

Saturday 26th September 2015.

If Wealdstone had been nailed on favourites for the League match on Tuesday night, the bookies didn't think we could fail on Saturday afternoon, pricing us at 1/8 to see off the Essex club and book our place in Monday's draw for the Third Qualifying Round. Before the match, Charlie Bates, the Head Physio, has passed Les Afful fit to travel and play following a fitness test, but doesn't reccomend that he play anymore than an hour.

The FA Cup, Second Qualifying Round
New Lodge, Billericay, Essex
Billericay Town v Truro City

From the moment the match started, we had almost total control of our lower league opponents. It took over half an hour to turn that domination into an advantage on the scoreboard though, Aaron Dawson providing the width, and a pinpoint coss, which Isaac Vassell sent back across goal and inside the post. We didn't rest on our lead, but we didn't force the issue either, and paid for that when Ronnie Lane fired an equaliser with around twenty minutes to go. We got ourselves back in front with just ten minutes left, Jason Vincent was felled as he brought the ball down in the corner of the box, and despite going the right way, Jacob Marsden couldn't keep out Ashley Yeoman's spot kick. Even then, we couldn't keep hold of our advantage, and Tyrone Hall sent a header into the top corner from a set piece, and we would need to settle this back in Cornwall in midweek.

Billericay Town (0) 2. (Ronnie Lane 69, Tyrone Hall 83).
Truro City (1) 2. (Isaac Vassell 33, Ashley Yeoman 79 pen).
Dylan Castanheira; Aaron Dawson (Dan Green 72), Jamie Richards, Arran Pugh, Connor Riley-Lowe; Cody Cooke, Joe Broad (capt), Craig Duff (Bayan Fenwick 72); Jared Sims; Isaac Vassell (Jason Vincent 72), Ashley Yeoman.
Attendance :- 1,366. MotM :- Ronnie Lane (Billericay). Shots :- 13-11. Possession :- 38%-62%.

We really should have got the job done at the first time of asking there, but Billericay were game, and far better than the bookmakers would have had anyone believe with those odds. The bad news is that we could do without an extra match with our small squad, and we have now lost our free midweek. On the other hand, after getting half of Billericay's bumper attendance, we would now get one of our own, and we still had a chance of some prize money for getting into the next round.

Sunday 27th September 2015.

Les Afful is now back in full training following his groin strain. As someone who can play in a variety of positions, Les, now in his seventh season at the club, is a very handy player for us to have around, and I'm glad he'll be back available to us within in the next few games.

Monday 28th September 2015.

It's draw day at FA headquarters, and we're in the velvet bag for the Third Qualifying Round draw, though we have yet to actually confirm our place in that stage of the competition. The draw is fairly kind, as the winners of our replay will face a home tie against the winners of the replay between Camberley Town of the Combined Counties Premier Division, or, Winchester City of the Southern League First Division South/West.

Also on Monday, we make a loan bid for a centre back who has been brought to our attention. The teenager looks to be a step ahead of a few of the defenders we're currently have to rotate, and while it's a position we have good cover for, the lack of opportunties to sign players for other positions means we may as well go for it and try and improve while the chance is there.

Tuesday 29th September 2015.

Isaac Vassell is once again named in the Vanarama South team of the week following his impressive performance a week ago against Wealdstone.

Wednesday 30th September 2015.

The first match clearly didn't change the bookies opinion on who they thought would progress into the next round of the FA Cup, as this time they priced us at 1/10 for the win. It's pretty insulting to our guests in all honesty, and I hoped it wasn't something that was going to spur them on to an upset.

The FA Cup, Second Qualifying Round Replay
Treyew Road, Truro, Cornwall
Truro City v Billericay Town

As we had on Saturday, we started quickly. And as they did on Saturday afternoon, Billericay completley refused to lie down, and they took the lead in the 7th minute when Mike Edwards fired home from close range after the recalled Martin Rice had saved his first effort. Just over ten minutes later, Isaac Vassell had us level, he was clearly enjoying the chance to play up front, and broke into the box and lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper. Two minutes later, he netted his fifth of the season to put us in front, making the most of a mistake from Guyana International winger Chris Bourne, and netting from Jason Vincent's flick on. Again we had the chance to seize control of the tie, and again we threw it away, whn Tom Holmes downward header found the net in the early stages of the second half. I made changes to try and avoid the tie going to an extra time session that my players would have struggled with such were their energy levels. Fortunately, Vassell found the breakthrough, collecting a pass from George Russell, beating his marker for pace, and then shooting across goal and into the net via the inside of the post. We were through, but Billericay deserve a lot of credit for giving us all kinds of trouble.

Truro City (2) 3. (Isaac Vassell 18,20,82).
Billericay Town (1) 2. (Mike Edwards 7, Tom Holmes 53).
Martin Rice; Dan Green (Les Afful 75), Jamie Richards, Louis Ezewele, Aaron Dawson; Jake Ash (capt), Bayan Fenwick, Craig Duff; Jared Sims (George Russell 60); Isaac Vassell, Jason Vincent (Ashley Yeoman 60).
Attendance :- 907. MotM :- Isaac Vassell (Truro). Shots :- 18-5. Possession :- 62%-38%.

A record breaking attendance produced gate receipts of nearly £12,000, and then we were awarded prize money of £4,500 on top of it to help our financial situation. We would have a home match in ten days time in the Third Qualifying Round, where we would face Winchester City. That presented an opportunity to make some more money at the turnstiles and hopefully with some further prize money. It also gave us a decent chance of progressing into the Fourth Qualifying Round and meeting the Board's target for this competition.

Isaac Vassell now had five goals in three matches since being asked to play through the middle when we made our winger positions redundant. If he can continue this kind of form and strike up a partnership with Ashley Yeoman at the sharp end of the park, we may be able to take the pressue off our defence by becoming a force at the other end of the park.

[neilhoskins77]

2015/16 Vanarama National League South Division League Table. Up to & Including Wednesday 30th September 2015.

| Pos | Inf   | Team                      | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | GD    | Pts   |                                                                                                                                  
| 1st |       | Sutton United             | 11    | 8     | 2     | 1     | 23    | 11    | 12    | 26    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 2nd |       | Oxford City               | 11    | 7     | 4     | 0     | 22    | 10    | 12    | 25    |
| 3rd |       | Ebbsfleet United          | 11    | 5     | 3     | 3     | 16    | 14    | 2     | 18    |
| 4th |       | Wealdstone                | 11    | 5     | 3     | 3     | 14    | 12    | 2     | 18    |
| 5th |       | Dartford                  | 11    | 5     | 3     | 3     | 14    | 14    | 0     | 18    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 6th |       | Whitehawk                 | 11    | 4     | 5     | 2     | 15    | 11    | 4     | 17    |
| 7th |       | Margate                   | 11    | 5     | 2     | 4     | 13    | 12    | 1     | 17    |
| 8th |       | St Albans City            | 11    | 4     | 4     | 3     | 14    | 10    | 4     | 16    |
| 9th |       | Concord Rangers           | 11    | 4     | 3     | 4     | 11    | 13    | -2    | 15    |
| 10th|       | Bishop's Stortford        | 11    | 4     | 3     | 4     | 17    | 20    | -3    | 15    |
| 11th|       | Maidenhead United         | 11    | 3     | 5     | 3     | 15    | 13    | 2     | 14    |
| 12th|       | Havant & Waterlooville    | 11    | 4     | 2     | 5     | 16    | 17    | -1    | 14    |
| 13th|       | Hayes & Yeading United    | 11    | 4     | 2     | 5     | 15    | 16    | -1    | 14    |
| 14th|       | Eastbourne Borough        | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 16    | 17    | -1    | 13    |
| 15th|       | Bath City                 | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 13    | 14    | -1    | 13    |
| 16th|       | Maidstone United          | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 15    | 17    | -2    | 13    |
| 17th|       | Gosport Borough           | 11    | 4     | 1     | 6     | 15    | 19    | -4    | 13    |
| 18th|       | Truro City                | 11    | 3     | 3     | 5     | 14    | 17    | -3    | 12    |
| 19th|       | Weston-super-Mare         | 11    | 2     | 5     | 4     | 16    | 19    | -3    | 11    |
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| 20th|       | Basingstoke Town          | 11    | 2     | 4     | 5     | 11    | 14    | -3    | 10    |
| 21st|       | Hemel Hempstead Town      | 11    | 3     | 1     | 7     | 9     | 17    | -8    | 10    |
| 22nd|       | Chelmsford City           | 11    | 2     | 1     | 8     | 10    | 17    | -7    | 7     |