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For the squad, management, and away fans of Truro City, the gruelling return journey of 914 miles to face Gateshead was a mixed blessing ultimately. Their lengthy coach ride from Cornwall in the south-west all the way up England’s spine to the north-east region yielded one league point and a free pint or two.

The team tied the National League fixture two goals apiece at Gateshead International Stadium on 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 across England's highways. Following strikes by Johnson-Fisher and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gateshead rebounded through Kain Adom and, in the 70th minute, Frank 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.” — John Askey

Already this term Truro have made a trek to face Carlisle resulting in a 3-0 loss that clocked up 878 miles. Due to the team's remote location, their shortest away match is at Yeovil Town, around a two-and-a-half-hour schlep along the A30 to Huish Park, a 130-mile trip each direction.

Galvanising Effect from Extended Journeys

On Saturday the initial 90 supporters to arrive shared a £920 bar tab, courtesy of the EFL sponsor, Sky Bet, the complimentary beverage fund equating to £1 per mile covered. Fortunately, the squad could interrupt their travel 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 from Toronto to London, recognizes the difficulties facing the club he took over in 2023 with ambitions of “doing a Wrexham”.

All this time on the road also brings advantages for the region's first pro football team, in his view. “It's certainly not a brief trip, It's an exceptionally long distance relatively,” Perez told BBC Sport. “But what that does is galvanise our side even further – everybody spends time together, we are accustomed to journeying as a group.”

Loyal Supporters Face 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 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, following the Carlisle expedition: “The thing that makes Truro special as a club lies in the fans' unwavering support no matter what. I know last season we were very successful so it was easy to get behind the players, yet the supporters rarely complain and they appreciate what the players have done.”