TRURO City’s four-match unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday following a 2-0 defeat at National League title-chasers Rochdale.

The hosts raced out of the traps and were ahead after only three minutes thanks to Tyler Smith’s neat finish. Ian Henderson, who marked his 500th appearance for Dale on what was his 41st birthday, doubled their lead ten minutes before the break, having sent a spot-kick wide 60 seconds earlier.

City manager John Askey named an unchanged side from Tuesday night’s 3-3 draw against Brackley Town, but found themselves behind inside three minutes as Smith shot past Aidan Stone, whose opposite number Oliver Whatmuff did well to hold on to a fierce Tyler Harvey free-kick in the attack that followed.

Henderson and team-mate Harvey Gilmour both shot wide as Dale looked to put paid to any risk of another City fightback, with the travelling Tinners restricted to half chances at best.

A mini spell of authority included Jephcott’s winning of possession high up the field but his resulting ball into the box drifted inches wide of an awaiting Harvey, allowing the hosts to hook clear and increase the pressure once again.

Aidan Barlow and Gilmour were each a lick of paint away from adding to their team’s tally, with Stone’s woodwork rattled twice, either side of Henderson’s penalty miss - following a foul by Billy Palfrey - and subsequent second.

Recent Truro signing Jack Stretton replaced Dom Johnson-Fisher at the turn of the second stanza, but it did little to upset the rhythm of Rochdale, who were left scratching their heads as to how they weren’t further in front after the Tinners threw bodies in the way of three quickfire attempts during a series of events that also saw the post struck on two further occasions.

The respective teams, with their eyes firmly on different targets at distinctly different ends of the table, took the opportunity to make a number of changes, which rather disrupted proceedings from then on and led to a drying up of chances.

That was until Kyron Gordon, who scored the winner in Dale’s 1-0 win at The TCS in September’s corresponding fixture, forced a strong one-handed save out of Stone with a low drive.

On came Ryan Law and Zac Bell, making his first appearance since the 4-0 FA Trophy defeat at Southend United on December 13, as Askey made the best of the hand dealt to him by injuries, suspension and a congested fixture list.

Rather than down tools, they actually ended the game in positive fashion, forcing Dale further and further back but without seriously testing Whatmuff, the impressive 18-year-old on loan from Premier League giants Manchester City.

The final chance of the game actually fell to a rather unlikely source in visiting centre-half Shaun Donnellan, whose effort ricocheted off a defender and spun wide during four minutes of additional time, during which Dale saw the game out to keep the pressure on table-topping York who were 5-0 victors over Braintree.

The gap between 16th-placed Eastleigh and the pair of Truro and Morecambe – who remain level on 21 points – has grown to ten.

Meanwhile, Sutton United’s 1-0 win at Tamworth lifts them out of the relegation zone and increases City’s deficit to safety to five points, ahead of their next National League outing at Morecambe on Saturday (February 7).

Before that however, a quarter-final against Braintree awaits in the National League Cup at The TCS on Tuesday evening (7pm).

TRURO CITY: Stone, Riley-Lowe (capt), Harrison, Harvey, Palfrey (Bell, 74), Johnson-Fisher (Stretton, 45), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hasani, Jephcott (Law, 59), Donnellan, Charsley. Subs not used: Lavercombe, Kinsey, Cooper.