TRURO-GATESHEAD LONGEST-EVER TRIP? NO, SAYS FORMER FALMOUTH SKIPPER!

Claims that today’s Truro City match at Gateshead sets up a new record as the longest away trip in English football are being disputed by a former skipper of the club’s one-time deadly local rivals Falmouth Town. 

ANDY STREET led Town to a domestic trophy “treble” in 1996-97 and won over 100 caps for Cornwall. 

 

On January 20, 2001, his Town side lost 4-1 at Bedlington in the FA Vase, which, he records in his memoir STREETS AHEAD, involved a round trip of 956 miles – 42 more than Truro-Gateshead. See this extract from Andy’s book (published wholly in aid of Cancer Research UK):  

 

. . . . there was the little matter of notching up yet another new record.  On January 20 we played away to Bedlington Terriers in the FA Vase, which became the longest trip ever made in any FA competition.

 

The distance was 478 miles, or a round trip of 956 – and the build-up was immense, the more so with the match in some doubt right up to an hour or so before kick-off because of the weather. Our mission even made it into the national press, being featured in Super Goals On Saturday, a weekly supplement published free with The Sun.  Here’s how reporter Vikki Orvice described it:--

 

FALMOUTH JOIN MILE-SIGH CLUB Falmouth Town are praying their FA Vase clash at Bedlington Terriers goes ahead today – after embarking on the longest-ever journey for a domestic fixture.  The Cornish outfit set off at 8.30am yesterday to make it to Northumberland ahead of their fourth round encounter, which kicks off at 3 pm this afternoon. It means travelling for TEN hours through FIFTEEN counties, racking jup nearly 500 miles on the way. And they will have to do it all over again when they return home tomorrow.

 

Not surprisingly, the prospect of the weather intervening is far from appealing. Falmouth secretary John Thompsonadmitted: “When we saw the draw and where Bedlington was, we thought “My God.”Their third rokund replay with Nantwich went to a replay and we were praying that Bedlington lost. We’re looking anxiously at the weather now and just hope the game goes ahead.  We’ll play on glass.

 

Thompson has spent the last two weeks arranging the trip, which will cost £3,000, although the FA have agreed to cover any losses. He added: “We considered flying, but we woulds have had to get to Bristol first, which would have meant leaving atr 3am. So we decided to leave on Friday by coach. We planned to stay in Newcastle on Friday and Saturday and then return, hopefully, with a win.”

 

Falmouth are Jewson South Western League champions and their longest trip in the division is a 70-mile jaunt to Tavistock. They will take 53 people to today’s game and have travelled in the double-decker tour bus usually used by singer Elkie Brooks. Thompson said: “Our striker Luke Hodge’s dad Al is a session musician with Elkie Brooks, so he arranged it. It normally carries six or seven beds which have been taken out – although we might have been able to use them! 

 

The team . . . will be underdogs against a Bedlington outfit who reached the FA Vase final two years ago. But Falmouth manager David Bull (sic) insisted: “They won’t want a replay!”

 

They didn’t need one; they beat us 4-1 on an absolute bog of a pitch.  In normal circumstances, the match would never have been played, but the ref said he was prepared to let it go ahead as we had travelled so far.  Arguably, Bedlington were much the better side, but the manner of our defeat was actually very frustrating as we came so close to reaching the next round.  Sid Taylor, I’m convinced, had his best game ever for us and kept us in the running with so many great saves.  Then, with just ten minutes or so left, Luke Hodge was brought down as he was about to shoot from just six yards and he converted his penalty – while the culprit escaped with just a yellow card.  On another occasion they might even have been reduced to nine men, as one of their players actually threw mud at the ref but was allowed to stay on the pitch! Then Bedlington equalized in the 87^th minute – through that mud-thrower - and went on to sow the game up in extra time.  

 

And so, the old saw about a long, long way home for the losers took on even greater resonance – although Luke at least managed to bag the one remaining bed on the coach for a good day’s sleep all the way back home the next day! Our tale of Bedlington woe also included the loss of defender Ian Stephens, who saved a certain goal with his hand, the absence altogether of my brother Sage through suspension and my substitution with my poor legs being deemed too old to cope with the extra time. 

 

  STREETS AHEAD is published wholly in aid of Cancer Research UK and priced at £5, with higher donations strongly encouraged. It is available by contacting Andy direct: a.street831@btinternet.com

THE LITTLE CLUB THAT IS ONE OF ANDY’S GREATEST MEMORIES

ANDY “SLEDGE” STREET’s Cornish football career was nothing if not illustrious, with 20 winners’ medals and eight runners-up with Falmouth Town, Newquay, Bugle and St Blazey, plus over a hundred Cornwall “caps.” 

 

It’s all recounted in vivid detail in his memoir, STREETS AHEAD, out now in aid of Cancer Research UK and with another personal signing session at a special sales event near St Austell this Friday.* 

 

Some of Sledge’s fondest memories of all came with his first years at a South Western League outfit, Bugle, a club that has ceased to exist altogether since 1998. 

 

In his book, Sledge recalls how the Bugle of the early 1980s were transformed from the league’s whipping boys – regularly suffering heavy defeats - to the all-conquering champions, as per this abbreviated extract:-- 

 

At the end of the 1983-84 season, Bugle strengthened their emerging status as one of Cornwall’s top teams by winning the South Western League Cup, beating Tavistock 2-0 at Launceston. This was the club’s first cup final appearance since 1952, when they beat Saltash United 3-2 in the Cornwall Senior Cup..        

 

That proved to be manager Bobby Bell’s swan song. He moved on and was succeeded by Terry Huddy,who led us so memorably to the league title, finishing five points ahead of St Blazey.  

 

That was phenomenal – especially as older supporters would still not have forgotten how their club had been the league’s whipping boys some 20 years earlier, with at least one double-figures defeat.  

 

Our final match in that title season was away to Launceston, which we won 5-1 (having already secured the title by beating Plymouth Civil Service 1-0 in the previous game) and I well remember the presentation of the trophy and medals in the clubhouse after the match.  The best part was that my brothers Dave and Sage were also part of that great team and to win it together made it even more special (a feat we would later repeat together). 

 

As champions, and as per tradition, we played a SWL XI on May 21, 1985, and the programme notes for that occasion underline just how noteworthy our title success had been.  Tristan Scott, League chairman and former chairman of the club itself, wrote: “I have suffered Bugle’s results over the years and to share the honour which this season’s team have brought to the club is tremendous.” He described Bugle as “much the smallest community to boast a team in such a high standard of football.” Over the years, Bugle had had to seek re-election, but the continuing support and faith of the other clubs had now been fully justified.        

 

Sadly, Bugle were relegated from the South Western League in 1991-92 and ceased to exist as a club altogether by 1998. But the memories live on and, notwithstanding the treasure trove of medals and trophies that subsequently came my way, my time with Bugle was stand-out special in so many ways. After four happy years, though, it was time for me to move on. 

 

* Sledge will be personally signing all copies of his book sold at AJ’s Cafe and Bar at Beach Road, Carlyon Bay, St Austell, this Friday, October 17, starting at 4 pm. The book is priced at £5, with higher donations strongly encouraged. If you can’t attend the AJ’s event, please contact Sledge direct through Messenger, WhatsApp or by email: a.street831@btinternet.com.