The Cornish club's Historic 914-Mile Round Trip Creates National League History

For the squad, management, and away fans of Truro City, the arduous return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead proved bittersweet ultimately. Their lengthy coach ride from Cornwall in the south-west all the way up England’s spine to the north-east region bore a single point and a free pint or two.

Truro drew the National League fixture at 2-2 away at Gateshead this past Saturday after holding a two-goal lead in the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a campaign defined by long travels and unrelenting hauls up and down English A roads and motorways. After goals from Dominic Johnson-Fisher and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, the hosts fought back via Adom and a 70th-minute equalizer from Nouble.

“Clubs that come down to us, most of them are flying down and staying over on the Friday, so for us to have to do it on the coach is not ideal, but because we have so many long journeys, that’s the way we have to do it.” — the team's manager

Already this term the club undertook a journey to face Carlisle resulting in a 3-0 loss covering 878 miles. Due to the team's remote location, their shortest away match is against Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive via the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Effect of Long Travels

During the matchday the first 90 Truro fans were treated to a £920 drinks tab, sponsored by Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund representing £1 for every mile travelled. At least the players were able to break up their journey with a stop at Derby County’s training ground.

Even their Canadian chair, Eric Perez, accustomed to long-haul trips as he frequently flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, recognizes the difficulties facing the club he took over in 2023 with ambitions of “doing a Wrexham”.

All this time on the road also brings advantages for Cornwall’s first professional football club, he believes. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It’s a ridiculously long journey in context,” Perez told BBC Sport. However, it serves to strengthen our squad further – the team bonds during travel, we’re used to travelling together.”

Dedicated Supporters Face Long Travels

One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling yet stays devoted, despite the odd flight cancellation and wearisome train treks. He calculated the recent trip at roughly £400 in costs and missed income, remarking, “During my naval career with Nato, the drive from Brussels to Cornwall was shorter than from Cornwall to Gateshead.”

As Askey said, following the Carlisle expedition: “The thing that makes Truro special as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support no matter what. I know last season we were very successful made it easy to back the squad, but from what I know the fans never even moan and they appreciate what the players have done.”