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For the players, staff, and travelling supporters from the Cornish outfit, the arduous 914-mile round trip to Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. The 12-hour bus journey starting in south-west Cornwall all the way up England’s spine to the north-east yielded one league point and a free pint or two.

The team tied the National League fixture at 2-2 at Gateshead International Stadium this past Saturday after holding a two-goal lead by the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a campaign defined by long travels and unrelenting hauls 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.

“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.” — the team's manager

Earlier in the season the club undertook a journey to face 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, 130 miles each way.

Galvanising Effect from Extended Journeys

During the matchday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar 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.

Their chairman from Canada, Eric Perez, who appreciates long-distance travel as he frequently flies seven hours from Toronto to London, recognizes the difficulties facing the club he took over in 2023 aiming to emulate Wrexham's success.

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 – the team bonds during travel, we’re used to travelling together.”

Loyal Fans Face Long Trips

One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling yet stays devoted, notwithstanding occasional flight issues and exhausting rail journeys. 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 lies in the fans' unwavering support regardless of circumstances. Last term's promotion success 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.”