AIDAN Francis-Clarke scored five minutes into second half stoppage time to see Braintree Town to a narrow 3-2 win at Truro City.

Experienced striker John Akinde gave the Iron a seventh minute lead to strike the first blow in what was a crucial afternoon for both sides in their respective battles against relegation from the National League.

The Tinners turned the game on its head however, with Freddie Issaka equalising on the cusp of half-time, before an own goal put City in front shortly after the hour.

Back came Braintree though, with Francis-Clarke diverting a header past Aidan Stone ten minutes from the end prior to his match-winning touch deep in added time.

Luke Jephcott was rewarded for scoring from the bench in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at Eastleigh with a place in the starting XI, at the expense of an injured Lirak Hasani, in the only change made by manager John Askey.

The early signs were good, as Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain masterminded a series of attacks using his trademark long throws to disrupt the Iron’s backline. Caleb Roberts joined his Plymouth Argyle teammate Issaka in having half–chances but without seriously testing visiting custodian Mason Terry.

Football is a fickle game and so it was that the tide turned almost immediately, with Akinde poking the ball past Stone to open the scoring inside ten minutes; City then forced into immediate defensive duty to prevent a quickfire second through Taylon Harris.

Composure restored, back came the Tinners through lively loanee Issaka, who forced a fingertip save from Terry while Connor Riley-Lowe drove a free-kick into the midriff of the relieved incumbent and George Cooper nodded over.

Amidst all the chances, it was Issaka who offered the largest threat and the teenager was rewarded with a first goal in City colours when popping up inside the box to guide the ball past a despairing Terry in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.

Roberts, who belied his own tender years with what appeared to be the freedom of the middle third, could have broken his own Tinners duck when twisting and turning on the edge of the box, only to miscue his strike completely with what was the first chance of the second stanza.

As the Iron tired in the face of wave after wave of City forays forward, they began giving up possession more readily and their errors in judgement afforded the Tinners a number of opportunities to go in front.

Riley-Lowe had a dangerous cross cut out and Oxlade-Chamberlain missed the target but it seemed only a matter of time before the pressure would finally tell, and that it did with Ben Drake turning Harry Charlsley’s low pass into his own net.

At this stage, you may have been forgiven for thinking the game was only going one way but the Iron threw bodies forward and, after Stone had moments earlier saved well from Lewis Walker, Francis-Clarke rose highest to divert a cross past him.

Tyler Harvey duly shot City’s final attempt into the side netting. Fine margins meant, moments after being the width of the post away from winning it, the Tinners were in fact losing it when Francis-Clarke turned home a loose ball, leaving Truro 12 points adrift with as many games to play.