By Gareth Davies at Park View Road

NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH (SATURDAY)

Welling United 1 Truro City 2

TRURO City stretched their unbeaten run to eight games with a comfortable win over 10-man Welling on Saturday.

John Askey’s side remain second in the standings on goal difference, locked in a three-way tie for top spot with Weston-super-Mare and Eastbourne Borough.

The Seagulls occupy first position in the National League South table after a 2-0 win over Somerset rivals Bath City. Sports, who started the day looking down at the rest, suffered a 3-0 reverse at Chippenham Town.

Rod Stringer’s troops broke the deadlock against City after 23 minutes through Zain Walker’s deflected effort, but before the interval Truro had turned the game on its head with goals from Jaze Kabia (30) and Tom Harrison (36) giving the Tinners a 2-1 interval lead.

Welling’s task of trying to arrest their recent slump in form was made even harder just six minutes into the second stanza when captain Dave Winfield was sent off.

The rest of the game saw City look dangerous on the break, trying to add a third, while at the other end, Dan Lavercombe was a virtual spectator throughout.

Truro made three changes from the side which claimed a share of the spoils against Chippenham. Goalscoring hero Billy Palfrey was in from the start alongside Yassine En-Neyah and the fit again Ryan Law, replacing Dan Rooney, Tylor Love-Holmes and Andrew Neal.

City had the first sight of goal when Harrison flicked a Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain long throw skywards, for Tyler Harvey to head just wide. And at the other end, Welling kept their powder dry until the 23rdminute, when Walker’s speculative effort opened the scoring.

The ball fell to the former Bristol Rovers midfielder who shot towards goal. His effort was set to go well wide until it struck the unfortunate Will Dean, wrong-footed Lavercombe and hit the net.

Falling behind didn’t deter Truro and Palfrey forced a brilliant save from home custodian Daniel Jinadu, making his Welling debut after joining the club on Friday.

However, the former Dover and Chesham stopper was powerless to stop City’s leveller moments later.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s long throw was headed on by Harvey and there was Kabia to power home with his left foot at the back post.

One soon became two for City with Oxlade-Chamberlain heavily involved again. His and Connor Riley-Lowe’s persistence out on the right-hand side saw a cross hung up to the back post which Harrison headed home for his first of the season.

Just before the interval, Winfield was booked for a poor challenge on the first City goalscorer Kabia. It was a caution that would prove decisive as shortly after the turnaround, Winfield once more upended Kabia and referee Ayrton Hursey was left with no option but to show the veteran defender a second yellow card.

But the away onslaught never fully materialised with City content to keep things tight at the back and look to play on the break. Further chances did come and go as Law had a goal ruled out for offside before Kabia, with an outrageous volley from 45-yards, saw his effort bounce agonisingly over the bar.

As full-time arrived, substitute Rooney shot wide inside the box while at the other end, Welling huffed and puffed in search of leveller that never arrived as City triumphed for the first time ever in DA16 at this, the sixth time of asking.

TRURO CITY: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harrison, Sanders, Riley-Lowe, Dean, En-Neyah, Palfrey (Rooney, 77), Law, Kabia (Neal, 77), Harvey. Subs not used: Love-Holmes, Kuleya, Johnson-Fisher.