By Gareth Davies

TRURO City boss John Askey was left with ‘mixed emotions’ after his side were defeated 2-1 at home to Dorking Wanderers.

The game, City’s first in the Duchy for close to four years, at the newly built Truro City Stadium, was settled by Charlie Carter’s 48th minute strike.

Truro should have gone ahead early in the piece, but debutant Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain was denied by visiting custodian Harrison Foulkes.

City were made to pay as Jimmy Muitt then headed Dorking ahead before Tyler Harvey’s low finish restored parity after half an hour. 

But once Dorking got their noses in front through Carter, they defended superbly and restricted Truro to just one chance of note, when Tom Harrison glanced a Will Dean free-kick just wide. 

“There are mixed emotions,” Askey told trurocity.co.uk, when asked for his initial post-match thoughts. “We caused Dorking one or two problems, once we got to grips with them, after they scored. 
“We created more chances first half and Tyler took his goal well which got us going. Second half you just think ‘we’ll go again’ and put them under a bit of pressure.

“But we conceded from a corner kick and we weren’t just able to create that final chance. We huffed a puffed a bit, but neither team tested either ‘keeper (in the second half). 

“Supposedly (Dorking) are promotion favourites, with a huge budget, so the lads can be proud of what they did and I don’t think we can ask any more of them.

“We will improve as we go along, whilst giving us a benchmark of where we are as a football club. 

“It is the first time a lot of players have played together and we can’t get too disheartened as it is early days.”

Despite the reverse, it was still a day to remember for City with a bumper attendance of 2,676 watching the game and Askey says everyone involved with bringing Truro back home should feel great pride in their efforts.

“The people who have made this happen at the football club should be very proud,” he enthused. “I’m sure there have been times when they thought it wasn’t going to happen.

“Playing last year in Gloucester, in front of hardly any supporters, the players kept going and kept the club in this league. Today is reward for everyone.”

The 59-year-old, who has won promotion at Step One and Two, with Macclesfield and York City, also had his say on the farcical start to proceedings, which saw both teams enter the fray in virtually identical kits. 

Curiously, Dorking opted to wear their orange and dark blue strip, which clashed with City’s home ensemble of red and black. 

Referee Stacey Pearson did allow play to start but after three minutes, with both Askey and his opposite number Marc White voicing their concerns, play was stopped. 

Dorking left the field and returned with their shirts turned inside out, with play then getting back underway.

“I’ve never seen it happen, in all my time in football,” Askey revealed. “For the referee to allow a team to walk on the pitch in virtually the same colours as we were (wearing) is just crazy.

“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. 

“It was disappointing, but out of the hands of anyone connected with Truro City, even if it was farcical.”