A look at how Grecians are getting on away from St James Park
CITY FAN Exiled Grecian delivers an update on the Grecians on loan away from St James Park.Connor Riley-Lowe
Truro City, National League South (Joined in July, six-month loan extended until the end of the season)
Truro started yet another busy week by hosting play-off chasing Whitehawk on Tuesday evening. It was an uneventful first half until the visitors' Jordan Rose lost his head, picking up two quick bookings, the first for a tug of Matt Jay's shirt, ten minutes before half time. Whitehawk started the second half brightly, but were thwarted by Truro's player of the season Martin Rice. And Matt Jay gave them the lead just before the hour mark with his fourth goal in six games. The hosts couldn't extend their lead, however, and were made to pay in the final minute as Danny Mills scored from close range. The point secured Truro's position in the play offs, leaving them just a point from guaranteeing fourth spot.
The Cornish outfit then travelled to Havant & Waterlooville on Thursday night. Despite making seven changes to the starting lineup, Steve Tully admitted that his side looked tired before the game had even started. And it showed, as the relegation-threatened side, who needed a win to keep their fate in their own hands, dominated the match. The visitors had Tom McHale to thank, as the understudy keeper pulled off a string of saves to keep the score at 0-0. The point meant that Truro have secured fourth place and will face Maidstone in the play-offs.
City finished off the regular season with a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Wealdstone. Connor returned to the lineup having missed the previous two games through injury, whilst the rest of the lineup was much-changed as Steve Tully looked ahead to the play offs. The first half was uneventful, with McHale the busier of the two keepers and it wasn't until the seventy-first minute that the deadlock was broken, when former Grecian Les Afful lobbed Jonathan North from 45 yards out. The visitors levelled just two minutes later through Jefferson Louis and, with eight minutes remaining, Connor was harshly penalised for a handball in the area when a cross from close range struck him. Louis converted from the spot to leave Truro on sixty-five points. They host Maidstone on Wednesday 4th May in the first leg of the play off semi final, whilst the second leg will be played on Sunday 8th. If they progress, they will face either Ebbsfleet or Whitehawk.
Stats
League: 34 starts, 2 goals, 2929 minutes.
FA Cup: 3 starts, 252 minutes.
FA Trophy: 4 starts, 258 minutes.
Last game
30th April: Truro 1-2 Wealdstone, played 90 mins.
Matt Jay
Truro City, National League South (Joined in January, one-month loan extended until the end of the season)
Matt scored his eight goal of the season, his sixth for Truro, against Whitehawk and was one of only three players who started again against Havant & Waterlooville. He entered the fray on fifteen minutes against Wealdstone, but was taken off late on as a precaution.
Stats
Truro City:
League: 20 appearances, 15 starts, 6 goals, 1353 minutes.
Hayes & Yeading United:
League: 6 starts, 2 goals, 540 minutes.
FA Trophy: 1 start, 90 minutes.
Last game
30th April: Truro 1-2 Wealdstone, subbed on 15 mins into the game, taken off late on as a precaution.
Alex Byrne
Weston-super-Mare, National League South (Joined in July, six-month loan extended until the end of the season)
Alex did not feature in Weston's final game of the season, but has returned to training following a sprained ankle.
Stats
League: 27 appearances, 20 starts, 1824 minutes.
FA Cup: 2 starts.
FA Trophy: 3 starts, 270 minutes.
Last game
15th March: W-s-M 1-2 Maidstone United, played 29 minutes before being taken off with a sprained ankle.
Jason Pope
Weston-super-Mare, National League South (Joined in July, six-month loan extended until the end of the season)
Weston-super-Mare had already secured their place in the National League South for next season, but travelled to a Havant & Waterlooville side who needed a win and other results to go their way in order to stay up. The hosts dominated the first half and took the lead through a James Hayter header on twenty-one minutes. And they could have settled their growing nerves on fifty-two minutes, but Luke Purnell saved well with Brian Stock clear on goal. The home side grew nervous and frustrated as they couldn't find a second and Scott Wilson equalised with a header with fifteen minutes to go. With Margate losing to Bath, the Hawks went searching for the lead which would have kept them up, but it was the Seagulls who came closest to a second goal through a Wilson counter attack. The game finished level, relegating the hosts by a solitary goal on goal difference.
Jason started the match on the bench and came on in the fifty-eighth minute.
Stats
League: 19 appearances,9 starts, 922 minutes
FA Trophy: 0 starts, 2 games, 46 minutes
Last game
30th April: Havant & Waterlooville 1-1 W-s-M, played 32 minutes.
James Hamon
Hayes & Yeading, National League South (Joined in February, one-month loan extended until the end of the season)
Garry Haylock's men travelled to Gosport Borough needing a miracle in order to stay up. They started off brightly, missing a number of chances before Elliott Benyon gave them the lead on nine minutes. Two minutes later, the hosts were level, as Hamon was beaten to a cross before Dan Wooden tapped into an empty net. The rest of the half was quite open, with both keepers called into action, but it was in the second half when the game sparked into life. Justin Bennett gave the hosts the lead with a low free kick which went under the wall on sixty minutes.
Nine minutes later, Benyon levelled the scores following a devastating Hayes breakaway. With quarter of an hour left to play, some excellent football from the visitors found Dylan Kearney completely unmarked in the box, who rifled it past the onrushing George Legg. Hayes were on top at this point and sealed all three points with five minutes to go, Kearney getting past his marker after being played through, before nutmegging Legg from a tight angle. Benyon then grabbed his hattrick a few minutes later after a defensive mistake had left him one-on-one, but results elsewhere meant Hayes finished one point off safety.
Stats
League: 14 starts, 1 clean sheet, 1260 minutes
Last game
30th April: Gosport Borough 2-5 H&Y, played 90 minutes.