Truro City boss Lee Hodges hails 'special' form from National League South leaders

Noah Keats put Truro a goal up on Saturday, two minutes before they had Ed Palmer sent off

Truro City boss Lee Hodges says it is a "fantastic achievement" for his side to be top of National League South after a seventh consecutive victory.

The Cornish club played for around 70 minutes with 10 men as they won 2-1 at previously unbeaten East Thurrock.

"Sometimes we get a little bit of lady luck, but it's been a very special last seven games for us," Hodges said.

"To get anything on the board would've been a bonus but to win it at the death, that was a special day for us."

Former Exeter left-back Connor Riley-Lowe scored a 90th-minute penalty for Truro to win at their Essex opponents.

Hodges' side finished only one place above the drop zone in the sixth tier last season but already have 25 points this term, more than half of what they managed in 2016-17.

"It's a fantastic achievement, we're overachieving with the boys we've got in the squad but long may it continue," Hodges told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"They are working extremely hard for each other and they're getting their rewards because of it."