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For the players, staff, and travelling supporters of Truro City, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to Gateshead proved bittersweet ultimately. The 12-hour bus journey starting in south-west Cornwall travelling the length of England to the north-east yielded one league point and a free pint or two.

Truro drew the National League fixture two goals apiece at Gateshead International Stadium this past Saturday after holding a two-goal lead in the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a season of epic train journeys and tireless road trips up and down English A roads and motorways. Following strikes by 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.” — John Askey

Already this term the club undertook a journey to Carlisle for a 3-0 defeat that clocked up 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 via the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Unifying Effect of Long Travels

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters 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.

Their chairman from Canada, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel since he regularly flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, understands the challenge confronting the club he acquired in 2023 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

All this time on the road also brings advantages 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 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 Travels

One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling but remains committed, notwithstanding occasional flight issues and exhausting rail journeys. He calculated the recent trip at roughly £400 in costs and missed income, remarking, “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.”

Reflecting on the situation, 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 made it easy to back the squad, but from what I know the fans never even moan and they value the players' efforts.”