Truro City’s remarkable rise has taken another leap forward as the club prepares for its first-ever campaign in the National League and its first as a full-time professional outfit.
Led by experienced manager John Askey, the side shocked many by clinching the National League South title on goal difference last season.
The promotion represents a major milestone not just for Truro but for football in Cornwall. The club, who only moved into their new ground last summer, now find themselves on the cusp of the professional pyramid.
“It’s taken some getting used to,” admitted club captain Connor Riley-Lowe. The former Exeter City defender has given up his job as a teacher to focus solely on football for the first time in a decade. “It still feels a bit strange coming to football every day rather than going into work, but it’s been lovely,” he told BBC Sport.
Hard Choices, Full Commitment
The shift to full-time status has come with sacrifices. Riley-Lowe described agonising over the decision to leave teaching, especially after recently welcoming a new child with his partner. “I changed my mind about four times,” he said. “But the support from my school was incredible. My headteacher told me, ‘You can do this until you’re 70, but you can’t go back and become a professional footballer again.’”
Assistant manager Stewart Yetton has also stepped into full-time football, albeit by necessity. Truro’s record goalscorer was made redundant from his mortgage administration job just weeks after promotion – but the timing aligned perfectly. “I think I was probably one of the first people ever who was celebrating that I’d just lost my job,” he joked.
13,560 Miles and Counting
Truro’s Cornish location presents major logistical challenges. Their closest opponents, Yeovil Town, are over 140 miles away, and the team will rack up a staggering 13,560 miles in away travel this season – a record for English football. One of those journeys includes a 914-mile round trip to Gateshead in October.
In response, the club will now travel overnight for most fixtures, something that was previously unfeasible for their part-time squad. “We’re not working 40-hour jobs anymore,” Yetton said. “That alone will make a huge difference.”
From Local Football to National Ambition
Truro’s journey from Cornish local leagues to the fifth tier of English football has been dramatic. Backed by property developer Kevin Heaney in the mid-2000s, they rose quickly before financial issues and homelessness threatened their future. Yetton, who joined in 2005, has seen every twist and turn. “Last year was a bit of a freak – new manager, new players, new stadium. We’re poles apart from where we started.”
The club’s new Canadian owners, who took over in late 2023, are working to improve infrastructure and facilities. Askey is realistic but determined. “We’ve come a long way, but the whole club still needs work,” he said. “The key is to keep improving bit by bit – on and off the pitch.”
Writer’s View
Truro’s story is not just a Cornish football fairytale, it’s a blueprint for how ambition, patience, and smart leadership can deliver success in even the most remote corners of the English game. The transition to full-time football won’t be seamless, but the infrastructure is steadily being laid by a club that has already defied the odds.
With Askey’s experience and a united dressing room, don’t be surprised if Truro become more than just survival hopefuls in the National League.
