Nomadic Truro City return home after four years

Truro City's game with Dorking on Saturday will be their first game in Cornwall since October 2020

"I thought I'd be retired by the time Truro had their own stadium," says striker Andrew 'Rocky' Neal as he looks over the newest stadium in English football.

Truro City have been leading a nomadic life for the best part of four years but will finally return to the county on Saturday when they host Dorking Wanderers in their opening game in the National League South.

Having had financial problems in 2012 their former ground at Treyew Road was sold to developers and City played their last game there in October 2020.

Since then they have called Plymouth Parkway's Bolitho Park ground home - a 110-mile round trip from their new ground.

But they had to end last season at Gloucester City - a round-trip of almost 400 miles after the Parkway's pitch failed to withstand the wet weather.

They also had a spell playing 'home' games at Torquay United's Plainmoor ground in the first half of the 2018-19 season, when work on Treyew Road was delayed and the club returned temporarily.

But after the collapse of a plan to groundshare with Cornish Pirates rugby union team the club went ahead and built a new ground with the money that had been ringfenced from the sale of Treyew Road.

'No away trips compare with Truro'

John Askey led York City to promotion from the same level as Truro City currently play

"We had some really tough down times, especially when we were at Parkway," captain Connor Riley-Lowe tells BBC Sport.

"It just felt like it was a million miles away from coming back here, so it does feel a bit weird coming back.

"I loved Treyew Road but it was a bit run down by the end, even though we did make it a nice little fortress down there.

"I don't think teams liked coming there, so we'll have to try and make that similar here - it's a long way for a lot of the teams to come."

Someone who has travelled a long way to Truro is new manager John Askey.

No stranger to long journeys having been boss at York City and Hartlepool Town prior to joining the Tinners, even he appreciates that an away trip to Truro is a big journey for most of their opponents.

"They say Gateshead's a long way away, but it's nothing compared with Truro," says Askey.

"This is a completely different experience.

"I have managed for a season in National League North with York City and we got promoted, but I've not managed in this league so it's a new experience for me and not one that I'm taking lightly by any means.

"Whatever football club you're at you have to appreciate that it means a hell of a lot to the people in that community.

"We have to make sure that the players understand that and when they go out they give everything they've got, and I do my best to try and achieve what the supporters and the people at the football club want."

'It'll give the whole town a lift'

Truro City won the FA Vase at Wembley in 2007

For the best part of two decades, Truro City's aim has been to ensure there is at least one side from Cornwall playing at a high level.

Former owner Kevin Heaney bankrolled the club to victory in the 2007 FA Vase and five promotions in six years, before financial problems with the property entrepreneur's business saw the club go into administration in 2012.

Local businessman Peter Masters helped save the club in December 2012 and ran it until Cornish Pirates took over in March 2019. City were sold again to a Canadian consortium last November.

"Everyone wants to get behind something and Truro City has had its moments but it's always survived and gone forward," says Masters, who is now an enthusiastic supporter and sponsor, rather than the man writing the cheques.

"It'll give the whole town a lift, and indeed Cornish football, because if you look at it there's lots of clubs chasing Truro City so we've got a great platform and we can really push ourselves forward.

"But we've all got to get behind it because the success of the club needs a lot of support behind it because it's very expensive, you'll be talking somewhere in the region of £40,000 to £50,000 a month.

"It's big money to stick into it so it needs some support, but Truro's big enough, Cornwall's big enough, there's no reason not to do it."

'Fans want to feel like they're part of it'

Connor Riley-Lowe (left) and Andrew Neal are two of Truro City's longest-serving players

Truro's players are hopeful they can get the community behind them.

A hardy band of around 30 to 40 fans travelled to many of their games during their nomadic years - the players knew them all by name and any member of the squad that did not have a pint in the clubhouse with them after a game was given a fine.

"There was one time we were playing at Plainmoor and we had something like 19 paying fans in a stadium that holds 6,000, so there's been some tough times," remembers Riley-Lowe.

When he is not captaining Truro City, Riley-Lowe is a PE teacher and a close friend of England striker Ollie Watkins having come through the Exeter City youth system together.

"There were some Saturdays down at Treyew Road where we used to get some good attendances and it used to be bouncing," he adds.

"Hopefully we can get it like that here, it's going to take a little bit of time for people to come and hopefully we can make it into a place where people feel welcome, people feel part of the club.

"Fans at this level want to be able to feel like they're part of it, and they will be here for sure."

So what are Truro's ambitions for the season?

Having won promotion a year ago they finished 16th in National League South last season.

That came despite a brutal end to the campaign which saw them play 13 games in 28 days,10 of which were at their 'home' ground in Gloucester.

Now with a settled home and the long journeys being something the other 23 sides in their league have to contend with - nearest neighbours Torquay United are the best part of a two-hour drive away - can Truro improve?

"It is a tough, tough league so let's just establish ourselves," says Neal, who is entering his eighth campaign at the club over two spells.

"I want to make this a really tough place for teams to come, make this a bit of a fortress like it was a Treyew Road.

"Hopefully our home form this season will really put us in good stead and who knows where we can finish, we just have to keep working hard and see where we can end up."