Truro's Historic 914-Mile Trip Makes National League Record
Regarding the players, staff, and travelling supporters of Truro City, the gruelling 914-mile round trip to face Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. The 12-hour bus journey from Cornwall in the south-west travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point plus complimentary drinks.
The team tied their National League match two goals apiece away at Gateshead 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. After goals from Johnson-Fisher and Oxlade-Chamberlain, the hosts fought back through Kain Adom and, in the 70th minute, Frank 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 Truro have made a trek to face Carlisle for a 3-0 defeat that clocked up 878 miles. Such is the club’s relative isolation, even their nearest away game is at Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive via the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.
Galvanising Effect from Extended Journeys
On Saturday the first 90 Truro fans were treated to a £920 drinks 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 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, recognizes the difficulties 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. “It's certainly not a brief trip, It’s a ridiculously long journey in context,” Perez told BBC Sport. However, it serves to strengthen our squad further – everybody spends time together, we’re used to travelling together.”
Dedicated Supporters 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 calculated the recent trip at roughly £400 in expenses and lost earnings, noting, “I worked for Nato in the last six years of my career in the navy, and it was a shorter drive from Brussels back to Cornwall than it is from Cornwall to Gateshead.”
As Askey said, following the Carlisle expedition: “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.”
