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Truro City seal National League South survival after Dover Athletic win

Truro City manager Paul Wotton says his side have been 'magnificent' as they ensured their National League survival after a 1-0 win over Dover Athletic.

Tyler Harvey got the decisive goal after 30 minutes as City ensured a second season in the sixth tier.

City go nine points clear of Taunton Town, who occupy the final relegation place, which two games to play.

"I don't think anyone should underestimate how big an achievement this is," Wotton told BBC Cornwall.

City are in their first season back in the sixth tier after winning promotion via the Southern League play-offs last season.

The feat is all the more remarkable as they have not played in Cornwall all season - they have ground-shared first with Plymouth Parkway and then Taunton Town and Gloucester City as the season came to an end having seen Parkway's pitch became unplayable due to persistent rain.

City have two more games to go as they come to the end of a run which will see them play 13 games in the final four weeks of the season due to postponements.

"It's been hell. The travelling, three different home grounds, everything against us," Wotton added.

"It's been so, so tough. I'm tremendously proud of my players. I think I think they've been magnificent."

'It's exhausted us physically and mentally'

Truro City celebrate
Truro City were promoted last season, three years after they were denied promotion when their season was cancelled due to Covid-19 when they led Southern League Premier South [BBC]

Truro host 15th-placed Weymouth on Thursday in Gloucester before travelling to relegated Dartford on Saturday in their final game of the season.

They will return to Truro next season in a new ground after being nomadic since their old home at Treyew Road was sold to property developers.

"I think the club have handled themselves so well in adversity," added Wotton, who has been in charge at the club since the summer of 2019.

"We've kept our dignity, kept our mouth shut when we had to because there were a lot of times when we could have vented a lot of anger at a lot of people, but we just kept marching forward.

"I can't fathom how much travelling the fans have done, they've been magnificent and they've stuck with us, and I'm so glad we're going back home next year in National League South.

"We've played every single game of football for the last three years away from home, and to have got promoted in that time and to have survived in a really strong league is right up there for me.

"It's exhausted us physically and mentally, but we've done it and that's for the players and the fans next year when we go back home."