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Regarding the squad, management, and away fans of Truro City, the arduous 914-mile round trip to Gateshead proved bittersweet ultimately. 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 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. After goals from Johnson-Fisher and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gateshead rebounded 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.” — the team's manager

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, even their nearest away game is against 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 initial 90 supporters were treated to a £920 drinks tab, sponsored by Sky Bet, with the generous free-drinks fund equating to £1 per mile covered. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel with a stop at Derby County’s training ground.

Even their Canadian chair, 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 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

All this time on the road has benefits too for the region's first pro football team, he believes. “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 – the team bonds during travel, we’re used to travelling together.”

Dedicated Fans Face Lengthy 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, “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, after their Carlisle odyssey: “Truro's uniqueness as a club is that the supporters get behind the team regardless of circumstances. 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.”