Truro's Historic 914-Mile Round Journey Makes English Football History
Regarding the squad, management, and away fans of Truro City, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead was a mixed blessing in the end. Their lengthy coach ride from Cornwall in the south-west travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point plus complimentary drinks.
Truro drew their National League match two goals apiece at Gateshead International Stadium this past Saturday having led 2-0 in the 54th minute, during what is becoming a campaign defined by long travels and tireless road trips up and down English A roads and motorways. Following strikes by Dominic Johnson-Fisher and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gateshead rebounded 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.” — the team's manager
Earlier in the season the club undertook a journey to Carlisle resulting in a 3-0 loss that clocked up 878 miles. Such is the club’s relative isolation, 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 of Long Travels
On Saturday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund representing £1 for every mile travelled. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a pause at Derby's training facility.
Their chairman from Canada, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel as he frequently flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, understands the challenge facing the club he took over in 2023 with ambitions of “doing a Wrexham”.
All this time on the road also brings advantages for Cornwall’s first professional football club, he believes. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It's an exceptionally long distance relatively,” Perez told BBC Sport. However, it serves to strengthen our squad further – everybody spends time together, we are accustomed to journeying as a group.”
Loyal Fans Face Lengthy Travels
One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling yet stays devoted, notwithstanding occasional flight issues and wearisome train treks. He estimates Saturday’s trip cost him around £400 in expenses and lost earnings, 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 is that the supporters get behind the team regardless of circumstances. 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 appreciate what the players have done.”
