Winchester City 4 Truro City 0

WINCHESTER City brought the magic of the FA Cup to the Denplan City Ground this afternoon with their most sparkling performance of the season.

Ian Saunders’ troops brilliantly defied their ‘underdogs’ tag to outclass National League South outfit Truro City 4-0 in the second qualifying round.

The Citizens got the first glimpse of goal on four minutes when Taz Roberts knocked the ball down for Howard Neighbour inside the box, but the former Petersfield striker slammed it straight at the keeper.

It was a solid, well-disciplined start by Winchester against a side from two tiers higher and they went closer still with ten minutes gone.

Having forced a corner, Joe Briggs took it himself and his right-wing delivery was met by a header from bearded warrior Jamie Brown which was cleared off the line.

It continued to be all Winchester and another chance presented itself on 16 minutes when Neighbour and Craig Feeney worked the ball between them in a tight space inside the area. Eventually it was released to Stuart Green who belted a first-time effort straight down the throat of Tom McHale in the Truro goal.

Something had to give and it was the Southern League underdogs who deservedly made the breakthrough with 21 minutes gone.

Good work by Green and Neighbour on the right teed up FEENEY who gave McHale no chance with an unstoppable arrowed finish into the far corner.

With confidence high, Winchester played with a freedom that belied their lowly standing in Division One South & West and they duly doubled their advantage on 28 minutes.

Feeney was the creator, turning onto the ball some 25 yards out and driving at the Truro defence.

His stinging shot was parried, but the visitors – who included on-loan Eastleigh centre-back Jack Smith – failed to clear, inviting BRIGGS to net low on the angle from the right of the area.

Truro were scarcely in the tie and, come the 37th minute, the Citizens were in dreamland when FEENEY made it 3-0.

Roberts played him in and, with McHale coming out to close him down, Feeney cleverly flicked the ball past him. It rolled over the line at the back stick, foiling Smith’s desperate attempt to keep it out.

Truro missed when it looked easier to score amid a goalmouth scramble from a corner but, that scare apart, Winchester defended solidly throughout a one-sided first half.

Half-time: Winchester City 3 Truro City 0

Unsurprisingly the visitors hadmore urgency about them at the start of the second half and City keeper Lewis Noice made his first significant save to keep out sub Rory Fallon’s free-kick.

But the Citizens quickly rediscovered their rhythm and, after McHale had almost been caught out by Briggs’ curling effort from the right, he fumbled the next shot that came in from the Winchester No7, but the linesman’s flag denied Green as he netted the loose ball.

The home side, though, were giving away too many free-kicks and, after former Eastleigh man Noice had produced a top-drawer save to keep out Niall Thompson’s goal-bound strike, Matt Evans – on as a substitute for young Joe Hayward – cleared Fallon’s header off the line.

But just when the visitors were looking the likelier to score, Winchester extended their lead to put the tie beyond Truro.

Green and Brown did the spade work, digging out a chance for NEIGHBOUR who found the bottom corner with an accurate strike from the edge of the box.

Truro made infinitely more chances in the second half than they had in the first, but Fallon glanced the clearest of them wide.

Winchester pressed again with Green’s thumping hit gathered by McHale at the second attempt and, when Thompson threatened again for Truro, Noice saved well on the line.

Winchester City: Lewis Noice, Joe Hayward (Matt Evans, 46), Jamie Ford, Jamie Brown, Ross Bottomley, Dan King, Joe Briggs (Sam Wilson, 81), Stuart Green, Craig Feeney, Howard Neighbour, Adam Roberts (Jason Silver, 84). Subs (not used): Ed Dryden, Jack Hannam, Ryan Holloway.

Truro City: Tom McHale, Aaron Bentley, Jamie Richards, Ollie Knowles, Jack Smith, Aaron Pugh, Ryan Brett, Niall Thompson, Andrew Neal, Ben Adelsbury, Cody Cooke (Rory Fallon, 32). Subs (not used): Shane White, Adriano Basso, Les Afful, River Allen.

Referee: Ian Fissenden

Attendance: 210