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Regarding the players, staff, and travelling supporters of Truro City, the arduous 914-mile round trip to Gateshead was a mixed blessing ultimately. Their lengthy coach ride starting in south-west Cornwall travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point and a free pint or two.

The team tied their National League match two goals apiece away at Gateshead this past Saturday having led 2-0 by the 54th minute, during what is becoming a season of epic train journeys and unrelenting hauls across England's highways. 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

Already this term 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 against Yeovil Town, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep along the A30 to Huish Park, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Effect of Long Travels

During the matchday the first 90 Truro fans to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, with the generous free-drinks 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, accustomed to long-haul trips 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.

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 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.”

Loyal Fans Face Long Trips

One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, accepts the reality of extended travel but remains committed, despite the odd flight cancellation and wearisome train treks. He estimates Saturday’s trip cost him around £400 in expenses and lost earnings, 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: “Truro's uniqueness as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support no matter what. Last term's promotion success so it was easy to get behind the players, yet the supporters rarely complain and they appreciate what the players have done.”