Truro City's Paul Kendall set to start in absence of captain Jake Ash

Truro City are expected to hand a first start to new signing Paul Kendall in tonight's must-win Blue Square Bet South clash at home to Dorchester Town.

The 23-year-old former Plymouth Argyle youngster has joined the White Tigers from Evo-Stik League Southern side Tiverton Town and, with influential skipper Jake Ash expected to miss the next fortnight with a groin injury, Kendall, who came on as a substitute for the stricken Ash in last Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to Staines Town, is poised to make his full debut.

"I'm sure it is a little bit quicker than he is used to, but I'm sure he will get up to speed very soon," said City manager Lee Hodges last night.

"Paul has done ever so well for Tiverton and he knows [Truro's head of football development] Steve Massey very well. I think they spoke and that was how the deal came about, but you want people young enough that you can develop and I'm sure that Paul wants to play higher."

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Truro remain rooted to the foot of the table, but, while their future at this level remains bleak, Hodges insists he and his side will not give up the ghost until safety is mathematically impossible.

"The aim is to get them in and gelled for next season, but, while there are still points to play for, we will keep fighting," he said.

"As I say to the players, 'Let's see what happens'. We will take it one game at a time.

"We are not far away, but it seems that every time we have a big, big game that we need to win, we seem to let ourselves down and hopefully that will change against Dorchester.

"We have lost a lot of games by the odd goal and it has been one of those seasons where not much has gone for us."

Tonight will see Dorchester striker Kieffer Moore make a return to Treyew Road, just weeks after he left City to join the Magpies.

"There is nothing to stop him from playing against us," Hodges said. "We were bitterly disappointed to lose him, especially after we asked him about Dorchester and he said he didn't want to leave.

"He then played for us on the Saturday and scored the winning goal and even then he didn't tell me face to face that he was leaving, he just sent me a text saying he was talking to Dorchester and he had agreed to sign for them.

"I'm disappointed with the way it finished off because he had so many clubs in the Football League looking at him and a trial with a Premier League club lined up, but he turned it all down for an 18-month contract at Dorchester.

"It was a bit of inexperience on his part, but he is a great player with a great future."