Lee Hodges proud of fightback but it is not enough as Truro City lose out again
Player-manager Lee Hodges praised Truro City for their second-half comeback from 3-0 down at half-time in Saturday's 3-2 Blue Square Bet South defeat at promotion-chasing Dover Athletic.
Hodges – who stayed on the sidelines following the introduction of debutant Ben Gerring at centre0half – said: "At half-time I said to the lads: 'This could go two ways'.
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Goalkeeper Paul Hider was handed his first-team debut for Truro City at Dover Athletic picture: Geoff Hichens
"They could go hiding and we would have another Maidenhead [where City lost 8-0 this term] on our hands, or we could go out there and show everyone what we are really about.
"I asked them to hold their heads high, puff their chests out and go play our way, because there was nothing to lose but everything to gain.
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"At the end of the day, as I keep repeating, it was another one of those games where we should have got a result.
"I have lost count of how many times I have said that this season, but it's so true. When you are down at the bottom, where we are, then you don't get the breaks and you lose by the odd goal.
"When you are at the top, you tend to make your own breaks and win by the odd goal. That's football and it's great when it goes for you but not when it goes against you.
"That said, I was proud of the boys again. We are bottom of the table and yet again we have given a team at the top a run for their money."
Dover's win edges them up to third in the table while basement side Truro – who gave a debut to goalkeeper Paul Hider following Luke McCormick's switch to npower League Two side Oxford United – languish 18 points behind Billericay Town and Basingstoke Town in the bottom three.
With 17 games remaining – Truro visit eighth-placed Hayes and Yeading United next Saturday – Hodges vows his side will "give it everything, again".
First-half goals by Tyrone Sterling, Ian Simpemba and Calum Willock put the Kent club in the driving seat before Truro's stirring half-time team talk.
Sterling headed in from Daryl McMahon's free kick before Barry Cogan fired a free-kick in to the box and, as Truro's defence failed to clear, Simpemba slid the ball in to the back of the net past Hider to extend Dover's lead to two goals.
On the stroke of half-time, Lloyd Harrington's cross in to the area was met by the head of Ben May who quickly nodded the ball in to the feet of Willock to convert from close range.
Back-to-back goals by Cody Cooke – his first of the term – on 56 minutes and top scorer Kieffer Moore on 58 put Dover on the back foot.
Rookie striker Moore – a Torbay summer find by Hodges' former assistant, Dave Newton – now has 12 goals in his first season at Blue Square Bet South level.
Saturday's game marked a 300th appearance for City stalwart Joe Broad, the former Plymouth Argyle playmaker. The match also marked a 290th appearance for skipper and central defender Jake Ash while striker Andy Watkins and midfielder Marcus Martin are both on 280 appearances.
Popular striker Stewart Yetton will make his 310th City appearance when he returns from injury. Gerring, another former Argyle player, was recruited from Taunton Town late last week.
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