🔗 Share this article

Regarding the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead was a mixed blessing in the end. The 12-hour bus journey starting in south-west Cornwall all the way up England’s spine to the north-east yielded one league point and a free pint or two.

The team tied their National League match at 2-2 at Gateshead International Stadium 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. Following strikes by 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.” — John Askey

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, even their nearest away game is against Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive via the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Impact from Extended Journeys

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund equating to £1 per mile covered. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a stop at Derby County’s training ground.

Even their Canadian chair, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel since he regularly flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, understands the challenge confronting the club he acquired in 2023 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

The extensive travel has benefits too 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 – everybody spends time together, we are accustomed to journeying as a group.”

Dedicated Fans Endure Lengthy Travels

One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling but remains committed, despite the odd flight cancellation and exhausting rail journeys. He estimates Saturday’s trip cost him around £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, after their Carlisle odyssey: “Truro's uniqueness as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support no matter what. I know last season we were very successful so it was easy to get behind the players, but from what I know the fans never even moan and they value the players' efforts.”