Wealdstone vs Truro City – Match Report

Enterprise National League

Gareth Davies, Grosvenor Vale, Saturday

Wealdstone 2 – Truro City 0

Truro City’s history-making first ever National League match ended in defeat on the road at Wealdstone.

The Tinners were undone by goals from Enzio Boldewijn and substitute Dom Hutchinson, late on in each half of this season opener.

But City weren’t without their chances as the best of those fell to Luke Jephcott early in the piece and Dom Johnson-Fisher, just before the Stones netted their second.

Visiting boss John Askey named the same starting line-up that finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 5-2 win over St Albans, which secured a historic promotion to Step One, thus becoming the first ever club from Cornwall to dine at English football’s top table.

There were a host of new faces on the bench for City with summer arrivals Lirak Hasani, Rekeil Pyke, Jake Taylor, Max Kinsey and Ben Starkie all named amongst seven substitutes.

Under clear skies and temperatures pushing 25 degrees, City started the game well and forced Wealdstone to turn the ball over in dangerous areas.

Home custodian Dante Baptiste also looked less than comfortable with the ball at his feet and he almost gifted Luke Jephcott the opener.

The ball fell to the former Newport forward, but he could only shoot straight at an embarrassed, but ultimately relieved Stones stopper.

From then on until just shy of the half time interval, chances were at a premium at both ends and despite Wealdstone halting City’s dominance, the hosts failed to test Dan Lavercombe between the sticks for Truro.

However, out of almost nowhere, Wealdstone almost took the lead when Sean Adarwka cut in from the left on his right foot, unleashing a thunderous effort which crashed off the angle of bar and post.

📷The travelling Truro City fans during the National League Match between Wealdstone and Truro City at Grosvenor Vale on 9 August, 2025 in Wealdstone, England (Photo by Josh Smith/PPAUK)

Almost instantly, this sprung Wealdstone into life and they took the lead in the final minute of the first half. A corner from Max Kretzschmar wasn’t cleared and Boldewijin glanced a headed effort into the bottom corner.

After the turnaround, Kretzschmar was twice denied by Lavercombe in the second stanza’s early stages but that brace of chances aside, the ball and territory was dominated by the men in red and black shirts.

As the game entered its final 15 minutes, Tyler Harvey glanced a header agonisinly wide of the post before Johnson-Fisher got caught in two minds between crossing and shooting, deep in the Stones’ area.

Those moments proved decisive as Wealdstone, in a rare late foray forward broke and a loose ball was lashed home by Hutchinson.

In stoppage time, another of the host’s replacements, Nathan Youngs-Coombes, stung Lavercombe’s palms with a free-kick.

If the former AFC Wimbledon man had scored, it would have been a harsh scoreline on City who, overall, didn’t do enough to win, but on the other hand were never cut open by the capital outfit, who start the new campaign where they ended last term, by winning at home by a two-goal margin.

Truro City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dean, Law, Bell (Pike, 75), Rooney, En-Neyah (Taylor, 80), Riley-Lowe, Jephcott (Hasani, 56), Harvey, Johnson-Fisher. Subs not used: Sanders, Kinsey, Starkie, Stone.

Wealdstone: Baptiste, Tiensia, Cook, Woodman, Georgiou, Mussa (Hutchinson, 73), Kadji, Kretzschmar (Tshikuna, 64), Obiero (Chinedu, 81), Boldewijn, Adarkwa (Young-Combes, 81). Subs not used: Covolan, Hassan, Nkrumah.

Referee: Aaron Farmer

Attendance: 1572

📷Tyler Harvey of Truro City and Anthony Georgiou of Wealdstone compete for the ball during the National League Match between Wealdstone and Truro City at Grosvenor Vale on 9 August, 2025 in Wealdstone, England (Photo by Josh Smith/PPAUK)

John Askey Match Reaction

Boss John Askey refused to be downbeat after his Truro City side were defeated 2-0 at Wealdstone in their history making National League debut.

In a game of few clear cut chances, Enzio Boldewijn just before half time and then substitute Dom Hutchinson inside the final 10 minutes, inflicted the decisive blows for the Stones.

But City had their moments as strike trio Luke Jephcott, Dom Johnson-Fisher and Tyler Harvey all had presentable chances in the North London sunshine.

“I’m not disappointed with how we played,” Askey said at full-time. “The last 10 minutes we came away from what we wanted to do a bit, but overall, I thought we started well and had good chances.

“Our final ball and not finishing is what let us down and you have to score goals, regardless of what league you play in.

“Up until Wealdstone’s second goal, I thought their only threat was from set pieces, because with the size of their team, that was always going to be a problem. Apart from that, they didn’t trouble Dan (Lavercombe, Truro City goalkeeper).

“It was a shame not to go in at half-time at 0-0 because we deserved to. We gave a soft corner away and they got three headers in our box, so I will have to look at that.

“The ball comes in and we have competed well, against a big side, but to concede like that was disappointing because we nullified them as they never played through us.

“This will be a tough season and we have to stick together and that includes the supporters. The overall commitment was there, but we were just lacking the final third.”

City have little time to lick their wounds as they are back in action on Wednesday evening when Southampton are the opponents in a National League Cup fixture in TR4.

With league fixtures against York and Tamworth in the space of four days on the horizon too, Askey revealed that he will use the Saints game to shuffle his pack and maximise the use of the squad at his disposal.

“With the game being on Wednesday, then matches the following Saturday and Tuesday, it will give us a chance to give a game to lads who didn’t feature against Wealdstone,” he added. “It will be good from that point of view and that is what we will use the game for because our sole focus is on the league and staying in this league.”

📷Connor Riley-Lowe of Truro City and Jack Cook of Wealdstone lead their teams out before the National League Match between Wealdstone and Truro City at Grosvenor Vale on 9 August, 2025 in Wealdstone, England (Photo by Josh Smith/PPAUK)