🔗 Share this article

Regarding the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the gruelling 914-mile round trip to face Gateshead was a mixed blessing ultimately. Their lengthy coach ride starting in south-west Cornwall all the way up England’s spine to the north-east region yielded one league point plus complimentary drinks.

The team tied the National League fixture at 2-2 away at Gateshead on Saturday having led 2-0 in the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a campaign defined by long travels and tireless road trips up and down English A roads and motorways. Following strikes by Johnson-Fisher and Oxlade-Chamberlain, the hosts fought back via Adom and a 70th-minute equalizer from 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.” — John Askey

Earlier in the season Truro have made a trek to Carlisle for a 3-0 defeat covering 878 miles. Such is the club’s relative isolation, their shortest away match is at Yeovil Town, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep along the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Unifying Effect of Long Travels

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, sponsored by Sky Bet, with the generous free-drinks fund equating to £1 per mile covered. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a pause at Derby's training facility.

Their chairman from Canada, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel as he frequently flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, understands the challenge facing the club he took over in 2023 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

All this time on the road also brings advantages for the region's first pro football team, he believes. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It's an exceptionally long distance relatively,” Perez told BBC Sport. “But what that does is galvanise our side even further – the team bonds during travel, we are accustomed to journeying as a group.”

Loyal 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 exhausting rail journeys. He calculated the recent trip at roughly £400 in costs and missed income, noting, “During my naval career with Nato, the drive from Brussels to Cornwall was shorter than from Cornwall to Gateshead.”

Reflecting on the situation, after their Carlisle odyssey: “Truro's uniqueness as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support no matter what. Last term's promotion success made it easy to back the squad, yet the supporters rarely complain and they appreciate what the players have done.”