🔗 Share this article

For the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the arduous return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. The 12-hour bus journey starting in south-west Cornwall travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point and a free pint or two.

The team tied the National League fixture at 2-2 at Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday having led 2-0 by the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a campaign defined by long travels and tireless road trips across England's highways. 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.” — John Askey

Earlier in the season the club undertook a journey to face Carlisle for a 3-0 defeat covering 878 miles. Due to the team's remote location, their shortest away match is at Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive along the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Unifying Impact from Extended Journeys

On Saturday the first 90 Truro fans to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, sponsored by Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund equating to £1 per mile covered. 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, who appreciates long-distance travel since he regularly flies seven hours from Toronto to London, understands the challenge confronting the club he acquired 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, in his view. “It's certainly not a brief trip, It’s a ridiculously long journey in context,” Perez stated. “But what that does is galvanise our side even further – the team bonds during travel, we’re used to travelling together.”

Dedicated Fans Endure Long Trips

A committed Truro follower, John Joyce, accepts the reality of extended travel yet stays devoted, notwithstanding occasional flight issues and wearisome train treks. 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.”

Reflecting on the situation, following the Carlisle expedition: “The thing that makes Truro special 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.”