Latest news with #JohnAskey
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Truro City boss ready for 'hard work' after promotion
Truro City manager John Askey says he is ready for the "hard work" to begin after his side's promotion to the National National League South champions enjoyed an open-top bus parade around Truro on Saturday to celebrate their guided the club to promotion in his first season in charge, the experienced Askey is planning for a season in the fifth tier with logistical issues a priority. "I could never have envisaged when I started that we were going to do this," Askey told BBC Radio Cornwall."But it'll sink in next week when we have to start finding out where we're going to train."We've got to get new players in and work out how are we going to travel to away games; that's when the hard work starts."Truro will face the longest away trip in English football next season when they go to Gateshead - a round-trip of around 930 will also face an 880-mile round trip to Carlisle United and a similar journey to Hartlepool United and Askey is hopeful that his experience - he led Macclesfield Town to a National League title and York City to promotion from National League North - can help Truro stay up in the fifth tier."Every team that is in the league above, I've either played against when I was a player or have managed against, so I know what to expect," he added."It's a big jump from the National League South to National League, but hopefully the players can do what they have done this season and do what nobody expects, and that is for us to stay in the National League next season and build."
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Truro City boss John Askey on English football's record-breaking 870-mile away day
After winning a crazy six-way shoot-out for a place in the National League, and delivering professional football to Cornwall for the first time, Truro City face nightmare travel logistics - with their 'local' derby 140 miles away They will break all records for long-distance awayday travel in English football next season. But for Truro City, whose promotion to the National League is the greatest moment in Cornwall's football history, the 870-mile round trips to Carlisle and Hartlepool, and a probable 912-mile hike to Gateshead, will be nearer privilege than purgatory. If they set off for Brunton Park before dawn, they might just about make a 3pm kick-off. But if their coach is stuck behind a caravan on the A30, they will need to hit the road the day before yesterday. These Tinners are not tinpot - after holding their nerve on the final day of the season, when no fewer than six teams could have won the National League South title, manager John Askey's underdogs won the golden ticket. And for Askey, a one-club legend who made a record 679 appearances for Macclesfield as a player, the headaches were only starting with the plink-plink-fizz following Truro's giddy celebrations. Cornwall used to be the distant peninsula where you spent summer holidays scoffing pasties, toppling off surfboards and pretending you were nearly there when you'd made it past Bristol. Now it's British football's southern outpost, barely a year after they were homeless and groundsharing with Gloucester City a mere 200 miles away - after 60-year-old Askey proved the Tinner takes it all. 'We had no right to go up - in fact we were favourites to go down because of the distances we have to cover and our budget was nowhere near the teams around us in the top six,' he said. 'For a couple of days I enjoyed taking in the view from the top of the league, but now it all starts again. We'll have to get our heads around the logistics and somehow navigate the big trips ahead of us next season. 'We will have to go full-time as a club - you can't expect lads to take time off work in their day jobs for trips to Gateshead or Carlisle - but I want to retain as many of these players as possible and keep that spirit going. I'm not saying some of the trips are far away, but I'll need to get my passport renewed and apply for visas. 'We are closer to France than any away game in the National League. Our 'local' derby next season will be Yeovil, which is a 280-mile round trip. People don't realise how far west Truro is - I fell asleep for two hours on the road trip to one away game and when I woke up, we were only at Exeter. 'Cornwall has never had a full-time professional football club before, and for some games we are going to look into flying. It's a nice problem to have, and at times it's going to be a logistical nightmare, but we are ready for the adventure.' Askey has spent a lifetime in football, including 19 years at Macclesfield - now resurgent under Mirror Sport columnist Robbie Savage - across four divisions and managing six clubs. But none of his feats has been more rewarding than Truro's defiance of travel exhaustion, poor training facilities and four years of homelessness after plans to share a stadium with Cornish Pirates rugby club collapsed. He said: 'We won four promotions at Macclesfield and they were crazy times. I played until I was 38, when a broken leg put an end to my career, and one year we played Manchester City as equal partners in the third tier. They were great days, but for all the trials and tribulations as a player, and leading Macclesfield back into the Football League as manager seven years ago, this is probably my best achievement in the game. 'Sometimes, as you get older, people question whether your enthusiasm for the game ebbs away - but for me, the fire has never gone out. If anything, it burns brighter than ever now. Coming down to Truro was one of those decisions that could have turned out badly for me. I had never managed a club south of Shrewsbury before and, if it hadn't gone well, I might have disappeared off the radar, never to be heard of again. 'But now we've taken football in Cornwall where it's never been before. Whatever you say about rugby, and this county is a real rugby hotbed, there are more people who are passionate about football down here. 'They have been crying out for a team to get behind and this is a massively untapped market. As well as fans rallying to the club, there must be some real talent that never gets picked up - you can't tell me that people who live beyond the border with Devon can't play football.'
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Who will win the closest title race in England?
It is a title race that is ending like no other. At 15:00 BST on Saturday any of six teams could win National League South on the final day of the three points separate the top six with leaders Truro City and second-placed Torquay United split by the matter of just two goals. "At the start of the season I think we were favourites to go down," Truro City manager John Askey tells BBC Radio Cornwall."So if we could achieve promotion on Saturday it would be a minor miracle and it'll rank up there with a lot of promotions that clubs have had which you don't expect."Truro City are in pole position for the title - but only just. After 45 games, just goal difference separates them at the summit following a season nobody outside of Cornwall, or even fans in the county, would have for more than four years without a permanent home, they moved into a new stadium in August and have thrived. Having played in front of crowds of less than 100 at various 'home' grounds, fans have flocked to the Truro Community Stadium with crowds averaging more than 1,700 and more than 3,300 packing in for their 1-0 loss to Torquay earlier this month. But hot on their heels are nearest neighbours Torquay Gulls spent 87 years in the bottom two tiers of the English Football League before relegation in almost went out of existence a year ago before a consortium of local businesspeople took the club took manager Paul Wotton from Truro in the summer and now have the chance at promotion at the first time of Truro face St Albans City, who must win to stay in the league, Torquay travel to a Hemel Hempstead side who are mid-table and have just pride to play for. "I'm really calm, really relaxed, I'm ready and the boys are in a good place and are really looking forward to it," Torquay manager Paul Wotton tells BBC Sport."You have to keep it as normal as possible, it's a game of football that we need to win."But when you say pressure, I don't perceive there to be any pressure on us whatsoever, I think it's a case of Truro City have got everything to lose and we've got everything to gain, and the four teams below us have got everything to gain as well." How close could it go? With all of the top six playing sides who are not in the title race, each team has a chance of lifting the will be champions if they win and match or better Torquay's result. But should Torquay overcome their two-goal swing they could go up - a 1-0 win for Truro and a 3-0 win for Torquay would see the latter go up on goals both be tied for goals scored and goal difference then Truro would be promoted automatically as they will have won an extra if both of the West Country sides are defeated the door is open to the sides below them. Eastbourne Borough's goal difference makes them the best of the rest - a win would see them go up if Torquay and Truro fail to get three points, while if Truro lose by six or more goals and Torquay are also beaten by four or more, Eastbourne could leapfrog them all with a 3-3 or higher-scoring draw with - with the poorest goal difference - need a win, the top two to lose and Eastbourne to fail to win if they are to take the title. Boreham Wood and Dorking Wanderers - both on 83 points - have the best goal differences of the top six but would need the top two to lose and the next two to draw or be defeated before they can have a sniff of the title. 'Creating history' For Truro boss Askey, winning the title would give him a full set of promotions from the three divisions of the National League, having guided Macclesfield Town into League Two and York City into the fifth tier from National League North. But it would also be something special for Cornwall - a footballing outpost who have never had a club reach the fifth tier - Truro's current campaign is the most successful by any club from the county ever."It's creating history, and that doesn't happen very often at football clubs," Askey said."If the players can get that win they'll be remembered forever, and there's no better feeling in football than that."We're not getting carried away until we do it, so if we do it then we can celebrate, but until we do so it is feet firmly on the floor."Wotton will have someone in the dugout giving him the latest results as the afternoon unfolds - his tactical approach could depend on whether his side need to go all out to get goals or just need to avoid having joined a club last summer that was fresh out of administration with one contracted player, Wotton has brought together a team that has consistently been around the top of the table."We've achieved our aim this season of finishing in the play-offs - we don't know what position we'll be yet," the former Plymouth Argyle captain said."The pressure of chasing the goal for the season is done, so everything else is a bonus. "The fact that six teams can all win the title on the final day of the season is phenomenal really and unprecedented - fortunately we're one of those teams."
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Truro City return to top as title race goes to the wire
Truro City moved back to the top of National League South with a game to play after a 2-0 win at Harvey scored two second-half goals to ensure the Tinners go into the final day of the season with the title destiny in their are ahead of second-placed Torquay United on goal difference - Truro have a two-goal advantage on their nearest neighbours - while Eastbourne Borough move up to third a point who led the league at the start of the day, drop to fourth a a 1-1 draw at now sixth-placed Dorking three points cover the top six teams with a game to go. "The other results and us getting a win today puts it back in our court," manager John Askey told BBC Radio Cornwall."At the start of season if you said you need to win your last home game to possibly win the league we'd have all taken it."Harvey opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half as he picked up the ball from Dominic Johnson-Fisher and coolly seen goalkeeper Dan Lavercombe make an excellent save in the final minute, Harvey got his second from the penalty spot in the third of 12 minutes of stoppage time to secure Truro's 25th league win of the they can win the title they would be the first side from Cornwall to ever reach the fifth tier on English football. "I'm really pleased with the effort the players have put in, and to come here and get to a 2-0 win when there was something on it for Weston as well is a real fantastic effort," added Askey."It's been twist and turns all through the season."We've just got to concentrate now on getting a result against St Albans, obviously they're fighting for their lives and it won't be easy."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Askey urges Truro City to push on for league title
Truro City manager John Askey said his side can "see the job through" and stay top of National League South as they prepare for Good Friday's crucial matches. The Tinners host fourth-placed Torquay United, while second-placed Worthing go to third-placed Eastbourne Borough. Just three points separate the top four sides as they aim for the one automatic promotion place on offer to the champions. "It's exciting. This is what you want to be involved in and hopefully we can see the job through," Askey told BBC Radio Cornwall. "But nobody is getting carried away, there's still a lot of hard work to be done." Nomadic Truro City return home after four years Attendances boom as Truro and Torquay go for title While Torquay are a former English Football League side, this season represents a high watermark in the history of Truro City. No side from Cornwall has ever reached the fifth tier of English football before, but Askey said there will be more pressure on his opponents than his side. "It's a game that Torquay have got to win. Both teams are obviously trying to achieve something this season. "I don't think there's been any real pressure on ourselves, it's tough when you're at a club like Torquay because expectations are so high. "Where, for ourselves, it's been a bit of an exciting ride really, so hopefully we can continue, but if we don't we'll still enjoy it there." Askey's side were one of the favourites for relegation at the start of the season and have a budget lower than any of their title rivals. But they have been on a tremendous run of form, winning nine of their past 12 games, including a key win over Worthing earlier this month, and losing only once in their past 15 games. "The players, week in week out, have given everything," Askey said. "I don't say that lightly, you won't get a better group of players. "They have to put up with a lot with the travelling, our training facilities are not great, but week in, week out they really fight, and that's why we are where we are. "If you do that it just shows where it can take you." He added: "I don't think there's ever been a league like there's been this season. "It makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it, but with three games to go, to be at the top of the table with a great chance of getting automatic promotion is obviously where we want to be." Truro City FC
