🔗 Share this article

For the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the arduous 914-mile round trip to Gateshead was a mixed blessing in the end. Their lengthy coach ride starting in south-west Cornwall all the way up England’s spine to the north-east bore a single point and a free pint or two.

Truro drew their National League match at 2-2 at Gateshead International Stadium 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 across England's highways. 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

Earlier in the season Truro have made a trek 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, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep along the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Impact from Extended Journeys

On Saturday the first 90 Truro fans to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, 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 pause at Derby's training facility.

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 facing the club he took over in 2023 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

The extensive travel also brings advantages for Cornwall’s first professional football club, in his view. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It’s a ridiculously long journey in context,” Perez stated. However, it serves to strengthen our squad further – everybody spends time together, we are accustomed to journeying as a group.”

Loyal Fans Endure Long Travels

A committed Truro follower, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling yet stays devoted, notwithstanding occasional flight issues 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, following the Carlisle expedition: “The thing that makes Truro special as a club is that the supporters get behind the team no matter what. Last term's promotion success so it was easy to get behind the players, yet the supporters rarely complain and they value the players' efforts.”