🔗 Share this article

For the squad, management, and away fans of Truro City, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. The 12-hour bus journey from Cornwall in the south-west travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point plus complimentary drinks.

The team tied the National League fixture at 2-2 away at Gateshead this past Saturday having led 2-0 in the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a season of epic train journeys and unrelenting hauls up and down English A roads and motorways. After goals from Johnson-Fisher and Oxlade-Chamberlain, the hosts fought back through Kain Adom and, in the 70th minute, Frank Nouble.

“Opposition teams visiting us often fly in and stay overnight, making our coach travel less than ideal, yet with our extensive schedule, it’s our only option.” — the team's manager

Already this term Truro have made a trek to face Carlisle resulting in a 3-0 loss that clocked up 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 along the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Impact from Extended Journeys

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters were treated to a £920 drinks tab, sponsored by Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund representing £1 for every mile travelled. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a stop at Derby County’s training ground.

Even their Canadian chair, Eric Perez, accustomed to long-haul trips since he regularly flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, recognizes the difficulties confronting the club he acquired in 2023 with ambitions of “doing a Wrexham”.

The extensive travel has benefits too for Cornwall’s first professional football club, in his view. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It's an exceptionally long distance relatively,” Perez stated. However, it serves to strengthen our squad further – everybody spends time together, we’re used to travelling together.”

Dedicated Supporters Endure Long Trips

A committed Truro follower, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling but remains committed, despite the odd flight cancellation and wearisome train treks. He calculated the recent trip at roughly £400 in expenses and lost earnings, remarking, “I worked for Nato in the last six years of my career in the navy, and it was a shorter drive from Brussels back to Cornwall than it is from Cornwall to Gateshead.”

Reflecting on the situation, following the Carlisle expedition: “Truro's uniqueness as a club is that the supporters get behind the team regardless of circumstances. I know last season we were very successful made it easy to back the squad, yet the supporters rarely complain and they value the players' efforts.”