🔗 Share this article

For the squad, management, and away fans from the Cornish outfit, the arduous 914-mile round trip to Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. 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 at Gateshead International Stadium on 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. 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 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 at Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive along the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Unifying Impact from Extended Journeys

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters were treated to a £920 drinks tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, with the generous free-drinks fund representing £1 for every mile travelled. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a pause at Derby's training facility.

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.

The extensive travel 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 Face Long Travels

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

As Askey said, after their Carlisle odyssey: “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.”