🔗 Share this article The Cornish club's Historic 914-Mile Round Trip Makes English Football History Regarding the squad, management, and away fans from the Cornish outfit, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to Gateshead was a mixed blessing in the end. Their lengthy coach ride from Cornwall in the south-west travelling the length of England to the north-east bore a single point and a free pint or two. The team tied the National League fixture two goals apiece at Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday having led 2-0 in the 54th minute, in what is turning out to be a season of epic train journeys and unrelenting hauls up and down English A roads and motorways. Following strikes by Dominic Johnson-Fisher and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, the hosts fought back 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 Earlier in the season 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 at Yeovil Town, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep via the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction. Galvanising Impact of Long Travels During the matchday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, sponsored by 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 stop at Derby County’s training ground. Even their Canadian chair, Eric Perez, accustomed to long-haul trips as he frequently flies seven hours long-haul from Toronto to London, understands the challenge 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 are accustomed to journeying as a group.” Loyal Supporters Endure Long Trips One of Truro’s stalwart supporters, John Joyce, is resigned to long days of travelling but remains committed, despite the odd flight cancellation 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.” As Askey said, following the Carlisle expedition: “Truro's uniqueness as a club is that the supporters get behind the team regardless of circumstances. I know last season we were very successful 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.”