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For the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead was a mixed blessing in the end. The 12-hour bus journey 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 away at Gateshead on Saturday having led 2-0 by the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a campaign defined by long travels and tireless road trips up and down English A roads and motorways. Following strikes by Johnson-Fisher and 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.” — John Askey

Earlier in the season the club undertook a journey to Carlisle for a 3-0 defeat that clocked up 878 miles. Such is the club’s relative isolation, their shortest away match is against Yeovil Town, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep via the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Unifying Effect of Long Travels

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 representing £1 for every mile travelled. At least the players were able to break up their journey with a pause at Derby's training facility.

Their chairman from Canada, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel since he regularly flies seven hours 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 the region's first pro football team, in his view. “I’m not going to say it’s a short journey, It's an exceptionally long distance relatively,” Perez stated. “But what that does is galvanise our side even further – everybody spends time together, we’re used to travelling together.”

Dedicated Fans Endure Long Trips

A committed Truro follower, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling but remains committed, despite the odd flight cancellation and exhausting rail journeys. He estimates Saturday’s trip cost him around £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, following the Carlisle expedition: “The thing that makes Truro special as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support regardless of circumstances. Last term's promotion success made it easy to back the squad, but from what I know the fans never even moan and they appreciate what the players have done.”