Farnborough VS Truro City FC: Match Report

Photo credit: Dan Sullivan: Truro City/Tom Finnie Photography

Match Report

by Gareth Davies, Cherrywood Road, Saturday

Farnborough 3 , Truro City 2

An 88^th minute strike from Farnborough’s Hady Ghandour condemned Truro to defeat on the road in Hampshire.

Twice during an entertaining clash, City had battled back from behind to draw level with goals from Farnborough’s Aaron Kuhl and Ricky Holmes, cancelled out by strikes from visiting pair Ed Palmer and Adam Porter.

The result was tough for Paul Wotton’s side to take as their play was pleasing on the eye throughout and over the course of 90 minutes, they arguably had the better of the clear-cut chances.

Playing their first game for 11 days, City made two changes from the side which was held to a 0-0 draw at Taunton Town. Up front Tyler Harvey replaced Andrew Neal who dropped to the bench while in midfield, Ryan Kavanagh came in for Porter, who would also start the game as a substitute.

Photo credit: Ed Palmer: Truro City/Cameron Weldon

Dan Rooney returned to the matchday squad after recovering from a bout of illness while Ben Adelsbury was fit again after shaking off a groin problem.

On a slick playing surface, City were first to show their hand as an attacking force when Dan Sullivan’s strike from just outside the box was cleared off the line by the hosts.

At the other end, visiting custodian James Hamon pushed a Holmes effort wide before a Palmer piledriver forced Farnborough goalkeeper Jack Turner into action.

But just after the 20-minute mark, the Yellows pinned City back and after a last-ditch tackle from Tom Harrison denied Holmes, and Hamon kept Ollie Robinson’s bullet header out, the deadlock was broken.

Olly Pendlebury’s corner was handled in the box by Tyler Harvey and referee Lisa Benn pointed to the spot. Up stepped Kuhl to emphatically dispatch past Hamon and Farnborough were ahead.

But City responded well to falling behind and Sullivan had another strike from distance that went narrowly wide.

The equaliser finally arrived six minutes from half time when Ryan Brett’s corner wasn’t cleared and after a combination of Harvey and Harrison kept the ball alive, there was Palmer to lash home with his left foot.

And it could have been even better for City in the closing stages of the opening stanza when a brilliant team move saw Connor Riley-Lowe’s deflected shot hit the post with Ollie Bray only finding the side netting with the follow-up.

After the break, Truro’s purple patch continued and after Bray chased a lost cause, Harvey’s angled shot was saved well by Turner.

But Farnborough dug deep and took the lead again with 20 minutes left when Holmes stooped at the back post to head Jordan Norville-Williams’ cross home.

However, five minutes later, Farnborough then pressed the self-destruct button when they failed to clear their lines after Brett shot towards goal with his weaker right foot. Norville-Williams got himself into a terrible mess and Porter picked his pocket to fire into the net.

The game then petered out in the final stages, with neither side looking like they would claim all three points, but two minutes from time Ghandour had other ideas and Farnborough were victorious.

Truro City: Hamon, Riley-Lowe, Palmer, Dean, Harrison, Law, Kavanagh (Porter, 66), Brett, Sullivan (Rooney, 86), Harvey, Bray (Neal, 88). Subs not used: Adelsbury, Sanders.

Farnborough: Turner, Norville-Williams, Fearn, Robinson (Ball, 82), Hollis, Bradbury (Kasimu, 66), Young (Clark, 82), Pendlebury, Kuhl, Holmes, Ghandour. Subs not used: Saied, Matthews-Lewis

Referee: Lisa Benn

Attendance: 808

Photo credit: Paul Wotton: Dave Crawford

Match Reaction from Paul Wotton

Boss Paul Wotton was left with mixed emotions after his Truro City side were defeated 3-2 by Farnborough at Cherrywood Road.

Twice during an entertaining clash City came from behind against the Yellows, who started the day just two places above Wotton’s charges in the National League South standings.

Firstly, Ed Palmer’s low left footed effort eight minutes before half time cancelled out Aaron Kuhl’s penalty. And in the second half, Ricky Holmes’ header put Farnborough 2-1 up only for Adam Porter to capitalise on poor home defending to draw City level again.

Both sides appeared to have settled for a share of the spoils but Hady Ghandour had other ideas, heading home two minutes from time to hand Farnborough all three points.

“I thought at times we were brilliant,” Wotton told trurocity.co.uk. “We had shots cleared off the line and hit the post but we lost 3-2. The reason we lost 3-2 is because we are not defending well enough.

“You would have taken 2-2 all day long because we have defended a million long balls. Our defenders must need bags of ice on their shoulders because of the long throws and we defended them magnificently.

“The one time we don’t defend a set-piece they score and ultimately, you don’t deserve to get anything from a football match if you concede three goals.

“With five minutes to go, I would have one hundred per cent taken a draw here and I kept saying to the players ‘do the basics.’

“But it appears to have gone in one ear and out the other. You need leaders at the end to stand up, stay out the box, head the ball, it’s 2-2, it’s game over.

“I thought at times, on the positive side, we played really, really well. (The chance) that hits the post in the first half, if that goes in it would have been goal of the season.

“It would have been so wasn’t and I’m fed up of saying I’m disappointed because that was a real chance for us.

“To score two goals away from home, we shouldn’t be losing the game. We need to get back to being hard to beat and I hate talking like this, because there were loads of positives.

“We played good football at times and Farnborough are what they are because for 90 minutes, balls are going to come into the box. I thought we defended it well, on three occasions we didn’t, we got punished.”

With City now facing a hectic end to the season with the side playing 18 games in 61 days, they have an instant chance to write the wrongs of this Farnborough reverse at Bath City on Tuesday evening.

“I wish we were playing tomorrow because I’m fuming,” Wotton added. “I hope the players are and I am sure they are in their own little ways. I can’t wait for Tuesday and the more games the better.”

Match Reaction from Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan says that the 3-2 loss at Farnborough was harsh on his Truro City side.

The midfielder caught the eye in a losing cause for the visitors who drew themselves level on two separate occasions, only for Hady Ghandour to score the winning goal as time ticked down at Cherrywood Road.

“I didn’t think we deserved to lose,” he told trurocity.co.uk. “I thought we worked well and battled hard to get ourselves back in the game at 1-0. We then concede again but get back in the game once more.

“But we are giving away too many sloppy goals as a team and we need to cut that out. We are now five games without a win so we need to kick on, stop the silly goals and get three points on the board.

“We clawed ourselves back (into the game) only to then push all that hard work away by conceding in the final five minutes. We must also stop conceding the first goal because it is OK having good character, but if you concede the first goal, you leave yourself with a mountain to climb every week.”

Sullivan has mainly contributed from the bench this season but with City facing a hectic end of season schedule, the former Taunton Town man has started the previous two matches.

He had two chances to break his scoring duck for 2023-24 against Farnborough but fired one effort narrowly wide whilst the other was cleared off the line.

“I’ve been trying to work hard within the squad and all the boys have been brilliant,” Sullivan added. “If you are not in the squad, that’s unfortunate, but its football and you have to work hard to get back in.

“I haven’t scored yet this season so (one of his chances going in) would have been nice. Again, it isn’t about scoring, it’s more the three points. If we can get back to winning that would be great and hopefully the goals start coming.

“We have 18 games left in nine weeks and everybody is going to be needed. Everyone wants to play and they will be disappointed if they don’t. When you are ready, if you perform, you will keep the shirt.”