A MOMENT of magic from Regan Linney midway through the second half was all that could separate already relegated Truro City from promotion chasing Carlisle United – who secured a home play-off with a 1-0 win in mid-Cornwall.

You would have been hard pushed to tell which end of the table the sides found themselves in during a competitive 90 minutes, in what was a fantastic advert for National League football at this late stage of the season.

In truth, the best of the opening chances fell to Mark Hughes’ men, but they were wasteful in front of goal. Linney found himself one-on-one with Aidan Stone before being met by the linesman’s flag. He turned provider soon thereafter, teeing up Georgie Kelly who brought a fine reaction save out of the City custodian.

David Ajiboye headed wide meanwhile, having found himself unmarked on the end of a Ryan Galvin cross as the visitors pressed.

For their part, City carved out the odd half-chance, including for Jack Stretton who later guided a lobbed effort over the bar after spotting Carlisle’s number one off his line.

The second stanza begun with an abundance of energy and a string of set-piece opportunities for the hosts, with one such opening seeing Harry Charsley volley Tom Harrison’s knockdown into the Eastern Stand.

Another chance arrived when Will Dean’s cross into the box was headed into the midriff of keeper Gabe Breeze by a leaping Luke Jephcott. Dean was next to try his luck, seeing a first-time effort spin narrowly wide.

Soon after, Charsley’s cross in from the left was met acrobatically by Stretton, whose head was in his hands as the ball spun past the post.

Issaka was denied too, seeing a shot charged down by two bodies on the edge of the box, leading to a break from which Linney made no mistake on 65 minutes after cutting in from the right.

Charsley’s header was cleared off the line by Galvin at the expense of a further corner, which Breeze palmed behind. He needed to be alert again, clawing Dean’s free-kick away for another set-piece, one that was nodded wide by an unmarked Harrison.

City came again, buoyed by an inexplicable miss from substitute Archie Davies, who ballooned over with the goal gaping. However, through long throw after long throw, and corner kick after corner kick, the Carlisle backline were able to stand firm and keep their sheet clean.

Another corner was taken off the head of Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain by a flailing Breeze before perhaps the chance of the game itself. Substitute Starkie, appearing at the TCS for the first time since September following a serious hamstring injury, drilled in a low strike that was kept out by Breeze at full stretch.

The rebound fell kindly for Charsley, who played it back into the mix first time, where another sub, Saikou Janneh, was denied by the barest of all margins just seconds before the final whistle.

It leaves relegated City with one final hurrah at Step One – a visit to Aldershot Town on Saturday (12.30pm).

TRURO CITY: Stone; Bell (Starkie, 73), Riley-Lowe (capt), W Dean (T Dean, 83), Harrison, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jephcott, Issaka (Janneh, 83), Kinsey, Stretton (Wilson, 89), Charsley. Subs not used: Howard, Love-Holmes, Law.