Truro City were held to a goalless draw at 10-man Chelmsford City, but the Tinners remain a key protagonist in the National League South title race.

In a closely contested first half, Chelmsford had the best chance when Paul Appiah struck the crossbar but after the turnaround, it was all City which included an early red card for home defender Arthur Penney.

Truro then had two decent penalty shouts waved away by referee Matthew Norton, before chances for Tylor Love-Holmes and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain were kept out by the outstanding home custodian Ted Collins.

Tinners chief John Askey named the same matchday 16 for a third consecutive game with recent goalkeeping capture Dan Lincoln taking part in the warm-up, but he did not feature for the visitors, who had to endure a 670-mile round trip to Essex and back, their longest of the campaign.

On a difficult playing surface, both teams had half chances during an even opening half.

Appiah called Lavercombe into the action early while at the other end, Zac Bell couldn’t keep his effort down after a corner was only half cleared.

City’s clearest sight of Collins’ goal came when a cross into the box was taken off Tyler Harvey’s head by a home defender, with the ball narrowly clearing the woodwork.

Chelmsford, very much marooned in mid-table, had a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock as time ticked towards the break when Ryan Blackman’s corner made its way to the back post, finding Appiah whose effort crashed against the crossbar and City smuggled the ball clear.

After the turnaround, City raced from the traps with Bell and Yassine En-Neyah firing straight into the arms of Collins before the game’s major talking point.

Kabia got himself ahead of Penney and bearing down on goal, the Irish striker was upended just outside the Claret’s box.

The referee took his time to make a decision, but the end result was an early bath for Penney and Chelmsford would play for at least 42 minutes a man light.

The resulting free-kick from Harvey struck the wall as Connor Riley-Lowe, then Luke Jephcott, fired in anger towards Collins’ goal.

Kabia was seemingly stopped in the box with no penalty given and Collins was fortunate to pouch the ball after it ricocheted off Oxlade-Chamberlain from close range.

With 65 minutes on the clock, Jephcott’s sweetly-hit volley looked destined to go in until it deflected off a home defender and shortly after, En-Neyah was seemingly pulled over inside the box. Once again, though, the man in the middle said nothing doing.

Kabia headed wide a teasing Jephcott centre and into the final 10 minutes, a goalmouth scramble meant Chelmsford kept City out, but only just.

Stoppage time saw City try and write another chapter of their very own late show and twice they came within a whisker.

Firstly, Love-Holmes could only find the gloves of Collins, ghosting in at the back post. And then, with virtually the last kick of the game, the ball fell to Oxlade-Chamberlain, on the opposite side of the box with Collins rescuing his side once more.

TRURO CITY: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dean, Law; Bell (Johnson-Fisher, 77), En-Neyah (Love-Holmes, 87), Rooney, Riley-Lowe (capt); Jephcott, Kabia, Harvey. Subs unused: Neal, Palfrey, Sanders.