It’s funny, but on any other away game I can sit outside someone’s house and often have to sound the car horn multiple times before the usual suspects appear, even when we’ve agreed a departure time. You mention Truro and turn up just before 4.00am and everything changes. I’d only just sounded the customary first long blast when the rear car door swung open and the Savile Park Shayman appeared, desperately pleading with me not to do it again. The bedroom lights were starting to glow amongst the tightly packed Victorian terraces houses, then the curtains began to twitch, and it was definitely time for us to make a swift exit and start our 366-mile adventure.
“Give me a shout when you need to stop,” I said to the usual suspects, “If not I’ll keep on driving.” I continued. I was expecting a journey littered with frequent stops, comfort breaks, early breakfast, second early breakfast, and fast-food special offers for people with loyalty cards. In the end, nobody spoke up, perhaps eager to get to our destination, and so without any interruption, we rolled into our planned breakfast stop in Devon shortly before 9.00am.
“Sausages!” said the restaurant owner’s dog in a deep throated rounded bark. It had already spotted us ordering the Whole Hogg Full English with extras and was tracking our movements towards our rustic table and chairs. It was one of those independent places, local farm food, spotlessly clean and scored a reasonable seven out of ten on Tesco Pete’s breakfast charts. You can only imagine the dog’s disappointment when we left…
The skies were darkening with slate grey clouds as we made our way across the picturesque Bodmin Moor, a modern dual carriageway has eliminated the once torturous journey from Exeter onwards. Although our journey had many miles, overall it felt much easier than visiting grounds along the M25. Before 11.00am we were driving around Truro City, admiring the cathedral from all angles and perhaps wondering why we’d set off at such a sensible time.
Truro City must be admired for their recent history. Formed in the 1950’s their original ground was sold in 2014 with them finally leaving in 2018, and they’ve endured serious financial issues since the turn of the century. They’ve been homeless playing games in Plymouth, Torquay and Taunton, all considerable distances from the Town. At the start of 2024/25 they finally returned to the town, having won promotion from the Southern League Premier in 2023. They then went on to win the National League South last season and are now playing at the highest level in their history.
“If Ikea built grounds, then this would be it” said one Shayman as he passed us sheltering from the rain in a small steel stand behind the goal. In all honesty, he wasn’t wrong. Our stand was the main stand on halfway last season. After their promotion, this and a similar stand were dismantled with a large Allen key and rebuilt for travelling fans. There is now a full-length seating stand with red and black seats down one side of the pitch, and the other end has another steel stand for the home fans with marquees and administration facilities down the other side. There are plans for a much bigger main stand where the marquees are currently located.
The game wasn’t a classic, persistent wind and scrawly rain perhaps tainted our view of proceedings. The stand was packed to capacity with 109 travelling Shaymen intent on having a good time. They’d arrived by planes, trains and automobiles from all around the country, The Shaymen down South has similar mileage to us, whilst the Truro Shayman had only a 10-minute drive to the ground. The humour was good too, “You can stick your Cornish pasties somewhere else” sang the fans whilst munching though the only food available, Cornish pasties.
After a goalless first half where Town had perhaps the best chance with a low cross and a sliding boot that forced the home keeper into a smart save, they came out after the break to attack the far end. There was jubilation when the Shaymen took the lead, out of nowhere the ball was pinched off a defender before being dispatched low into the corner of the net. Truro equalised following a corner, we were all convinced that the ball had gone dead moments before the corner was given, but despite our reasoned, impartial advice to the referee, the game continued.
It felt for all the world like the game would end in a draw, with the allotted four minutes of injury time already exceeded, Truro attacked one more time. In fairness, they had looked the stronger team for much of the game, but to score a winner with the last kick was, well, unfortunate. Our six-game winning streak had come to end with a real thump.
Driving back the rain relented, darkness fell, we kept driving, all home safely long before midnight.
Next up, bring your brollies, we’re off to the open end at Carlisle for a mid-week adventure, can’t wait.
Miles on the road: 3050. Goals on the road: 13 Points on our travels 13
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