Truro City, founded in 1889, have a history defined by their gradual rise through increasingly wide-reaching leagues. Originally playing teams from across the Tamar in the Plymouth & District League, they briefly joined the Cornwall Senior League in the 1930s but withdrew due to a dispute over travel expenses, returning to the Plymouth circuit.

They later became fixtures in the South Western League, with a brief detour to the Cornish Combination in the mid-1970s. A major upturn in investment during the mid-2000s sparked a remarkable rise: four consecutive promotions saw Truro become the first Cornish club to play in the Southern League, capped by a memorable FA Vase triumph at Wembley in 2006/07, where they beat AFC Totton.

Promotion to the Conference South followed in 2011 (renamed National League South in 2015), but relegation in 2019 and the disruption of two COVID-abandoned seasons stalled their momentum. They finally earned promotion back to the National League South in 2023, and just two seasons later, achieved another step up—reaching the National League for the first time.

This recent period of success for Truro City followed a turbulent few years marked by financial struggles and a prolonged spell without a permanent home. After selling their old ground at Treyew Road and seeing plans for a Cornwall Council-backed “Stadium for Cornwall” fall through, the Tinners endured a nomadic existence, groundsharing in turn with Torquay United, Plymouth Parkway, Taunton Town, and even Gloucester City.

Stability began to return in 2023 when a Canadian consortium acquired the club, bringing renewed ambition and direction. At the start of the 2024/25 season, Truro finally came home, playing their first match in Cornwall since 2020 at a new stadium on the outskirts of the city.

Truro City unveiled a new club crest in 2024, coinciding with their return to Cornwall after four years in exile. The updated design features a silhouette of Truro Cathedral alongside the St Piran’s Cross, a nod to Cornish identity. Previous versions of the crest included a White Tiger—an animal not native to Cornwall—which aligned with the club’s former nickname, The White Tigers.

With the redesign, the club also introduced two preferred informal names: The Tinners, reflecting Cornwall’s rich tin mining heritage, and City, acknowledging Truro’s status as the Duchy’s only city.

Truro City topped the National League South in 2024/25, edging out south-west rivals Torquay United on goal difference. This season marks their debut in the fifth tier—making them the first Cornish club ever to reach this level in the football pyramid.

The step up brings a new set of challenges, not least the sheer distance of away fixtures. The longest trip is to Gateshead, over 450 miles away, while even their nearest opponents, Yeovil Town, are 140 miles from home. The club will be hoping to build on last season’s historic success and prove they can handle the demands of life in the National League.

The club made a handful of summer signings to strengthen the squad ahead of their first season in the National League. New arrivals include centre-back Max Kinsey (on loan from AFC Bournemouth), right-back Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain (from Kidderminster Harriers, following a loan spell at Truro last season), and midfielders Harry Kite (from Yeovil Town) and Lirak Hasani (from Torquay United). Most importantly, they switched to a full-time model of operating for the first time in their history in advance of the start of the season.

All those hopes and pride that came with promotion notwithstanding, there is no denying that the Tinners have found adapting to the demands of the fifth tier challenging. Just over halfway into the season, Truro City have spent the entirety of that period in the relegation zone, and one-half of that time rooted to the bottom spot in the National League. As things stand, though, they are only three points short of safety, so even a small upturn in their fortunes (or a small downturn in that of some rival clubs) could see them yet make it through to a second consecutive season in the fifth tier. Thus far, they have won 5 out of 24 league games played – a statistic shared with Gateshead, Morecambe, Aldershot Town, Braintree Town and Sutton Utd. Three clubs (Braintree Town, Brackley Town and, perhaps surprisingly, 15th placed Yeovil Town) have scored fewer goals than Truro City, while the three other teams currently in the bottom four places have conceded more. So a late-season race to survival may not be implausible. A 2-1 victory over Halifax Town, thanks to an injury-time goal from Luke Jephcott, and a 2-0 defeat of Wealdstone, might be the standout results to date.

John Askey was appointed manager of Truro City following their first season in the National League South, in which they finished 16th, ahead of the 2024 campaign. At the time, reports suggested his primary task would be to help the club—finally back home in Cornwall after several years away—avoid relegation. In the end, he did far more, guiding the team to promotion and into the fifth tier for the first time in their history.

With over two decades of managerial experience at clubs including Macclesfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Port Vale, York City and Hartlepool United, Askey has built a reputation for working wonders on modest budgets, unearthing young talent, and reigniting stalled careers. No club is more closely linked to him than Macclesfield Town, where he spent 30 years—as a player from 1984 to 2003, and as manager in two spells totalling six years a decade apart. Often seen as a club that punched above its weight, Macclesfield saw Askey described on his departure as having “achieved the impossible.”

Truro fans will no doubt be hoping he can bring a touch of that same shrewd genius to the South West.

Parking is available in the adjacent school car park, just a short walk from the stadium. Spaces cost £15 per car and must be booked in advance by calling 0333 123 1889 (11 am – 2 pm on Monday 29th December only) or by emailing reception@fgr.co.uk.

The Park and Ride service does not run for evening games, and there is no public transport in Nailsworth after evening games.

If parking on surrounding streets, please be considerate of local residents.

The Green Man bar will be open pre-match and at half-time for food and drink, and live music. This season, the Gym Bar also returns for East Stand ticket-holders.

The New Lawn is a cashless stadium — card and contactless payments only.

Hospitality details and offers:

The FGR Shop will be open in the Fan Zone, East Stand concourse, and the Carol Embrey Suite.

A free digital matchday programme will be available online before each home game. Keep an eye on the club’s social media channels for the download link ahead of kick-off.