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For the squad, management, and away fans from the Cornish outfit, the arduous return journey of 914 miles to Gateshead proved bittersweet in the end. Their lengthy coach ride starting in south-west Cornwall travelling the length of England to the north-east region bore a single point plus complimentary drinks.

Truro drew the National League fixture two goals apiece away at Gateshead 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 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 Truro have made a trek to face Carlisle resulting in a 3-0 loss covering 878 miles. Such is the club’s relative isolation, their shortest away match is against Yeovil Town, a roughly two-and-a-half-hour drive via the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Unifying Effect of Long Travels

On Saturday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, with the generous free-drinks fund representing £1 for every mile travelled. 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 as he frequently flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, recognizes the difficulties facing the club he took over in 2023 with ambitions of “doing a Wrexham”.

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

Loyal Supporters Endure Long Trips

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 estimates Saturday’s trip cost him around £400 in expenses and lost earnings, noting, “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: “The thing that makes Truro special 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 value the players' efforts.”