Truro City win historic National League South title

Long-serving Truro City captain Connor Riley-Lowe scored the Tinners' fourth goal

Truro City won the National League South title after beating St Albans City 5-2 at the Truro Community Stadium.

The victory means Truro become the first club ever from Cornwall to win promotion to the National League.

Any side in the top six could have won the title going into the final round of matches, with Truro heading into the weekend top on goal difference from nearest neighbours Torquay United.

Torquay won 4-1 at mid-table Hemel Hempstead while the rest of the top six all won too - but it mattered not as Truro got the victory they needed to claim the title.

Truro end the campaign on 89 points, level on points with Torquay but winning the title by virtue of having a better goal difference of just two goals.

All of the top six sides won their matches in the final round of games meaning they all end the day in the position they started.

The win also meant that St Albans finished the campaign in the final relegation place and will drop to the seventh tier of English football next season.

The dynamic Cornish side were 3-0 up inside the first 10 minutes as they wasted no time in doing their bit to win the title.

First, Luke Jephcott converted Connor Riley-Lowe's fifth-minute cross from the left at the far post to send the home crowd into raptures.

Two minutes later, Dominic Johnson-Fisher got on the end of a Tyler Harvey cross from the right to double the lead.

Harvey put the result beyond doubt just three minutes later as he dinked a ball over the top past St Albans keeper Michael Johnson.

Truro were first to the ball throughout and did not give their opponents a chance to settle.

St Albans did pull one back against the run of play when Harrison Smith nodded in a 28th-minute corner from close range, but the hosts' three-goal lead was restored two-minutes later when Riley-Lowe flicked home Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain's long throw.

It could have been 5-1 moments later as Johnson-Fisher forced an incredible point-blank save from Johnson after a long throw was not dealt with by the visiting defence.

Luke Jephcott (centre) scored for the sixth time since moving to Truro City on loan from Newport County

St Albans brought on towering striker Alex Wall on at half-time as they tried to salvage something from the game, and the forward almost pulled a goal back after an hour as Oxlade-Chamberlain did well to block his header.

Will Dean blocked a Ken Charles shot midway through the half as Saints made the game more even.

After news filtered through that Hemel had reduced their deficit against Torquay to 3-1, the home fans had felt able to relax after a tense spell at the start of the second period.

However, when Torquay's former Truro striker Cody Cooke got his hat-trick to make it 4-1 in Hemel with 15 minutes left you could feel the nerves return around Truro's new ground.

It got even more tense when St Albans substitute Shaun Jeffers headed in a Charles cross with 12 minutes to go to make it 4-2 and narrow Truro's lead at the top to one goal on goal difference.

Harvey had a goal ruled out soon after when Truro substitute Andrew Neal was offside while Yassine En-Nayah shot agonisingly wide of the post with nine minutes to go.

But seconds later, long-serving Truro striker Neal sealed the promotion as he broke through and fired a low left-footed shot off the base of the post and in past Johnson to send the record home crowd of 3,597 wild.

"It's been a rollercoaster season," Truro City manager John Askey told BBC Sport.

"None of us thought we'd be here today celebrating winning the league.

"It doesn't get any better, it's been a fantastic effort by the players and I'm just really pleased for Truro and all of Cornwall."

Askey - who has now won promotions out of the National League, National League North and National League South - says he did not expect his side to get off to the start they did on Saturday.

"I've never seen it before," he added. "For a promotion team who's got to win, to score three goals in such a short space of time.

"Then when we did get a bit of a setback and it went 3-1, to come straight back and make it 4-1, it's been a special day and one we need to enjoy."