[themaclad]

Truro City have appointed former Macclesfield Town, York City and Port Vale boss John Askey as their new manager.

The 59-year-old succeeds Paul Wotton, who left the Tinners last month to take on the vacant role at National League South rivals Torquay United.

Askey led Macclesfield to the National League title in 2018 and guided York City to promotion back to the fifth tier two years ago.

Stewart Yetton will stay at the club as assistant manager under Askey, having been Wotton's number two at the club.

"We want to try and write some more history for the football club," Askey told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"The league they're in now is the highest league that they've been in, Truro is the biggest club in Cornwall, and we need to try to move the club forward and get everybody behind us and make Cornwall proud of Truro City.

"That's what everyone's looking forward to now, being back at the ground and it's exciting times, but the most important thing is getting the results on the football pitch and that'll keep everybody together."

City’s football consultant Alex Black said: “John is someone that can bring a clear vision, longevity and a structure for the club moving forward.

“His credentials are fantastic, having managed in the Football League, but in more recent times he got York City promoted out of Step Two – the same league we are in.

“John delivered that from a difficult position and also, he won Step One with Macclesfield on a very limited budget.

"He gives us a good blend of knowledge and experience of the level up in the Football League, but he also has an intimate knowledge of how non-league works."

Askey 'excited' about Truro 'project'
Truro City's new stadium
IMAGE SOURCE,COLIN BRADBURY
Image caption,
Truro City's new stadium will be operational in time for the start of the season

Askey still has the core of the squad that helped City finish 16th in their first season back in National League South.

The club is set to move into a new purpose-built stadium in Truro, three years after they left the Cornish city after their ground was sold for redevelopment.

He is also the first manager to be appointed since the club was taken over by the Canadian consortium that also owns the Cornwall rugby league side.

"I was excited about the project ahead," Askey said.

"New owners and it's a new experience for myself - I've not managed in National League South before, so it's something I'm looking forward to.

"I've had in my career six promotions as a player and as a manager and it's not all about having the finances.

"It's about creating a good team spirit and I think getting everybody involved in the football club is really important so that the players feel as though they're playing for someone and the supporters feel as though they're part of it.

"If we can get that right off the pitch, then it's a big help on it."

Askey says his priority over the coming weeks is to strengthen the Truro squad ahead of the forthcoming season, as they aim to establish themselves in the sixth tier.

"We've got a nucleus of 12 players from last season, so we'll be looking to add and try to bring better players in," he said.

"That's always the secret, trying to keep improving, and if we can do that we're looking to do better than they did last season."

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"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 points at his players
Image source,Colin Bradbury/Cornwall Sports Media
Image caption,
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 celebrate winning the FA Vase
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
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 standing on the pitch
Image source,Colin Bradbury/Cornwall Sports Media
Image caption,
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."

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Truro City have signed Kidderminster Harriers defender Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan.

The 24-year-old, who is the brother of former England and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and son of ex-England player Mark Chamberlain, has agreed a three-month deal with the Tinners.

A former Portsmouth youngster, Oxlade-Chamberlain has also had spells at Notts County, Aldershot Town and King's Lynn Town and joined Kidderminster last summer on a two-year deal.

He is set to make his debut against Dorking Wanderers on Saturday as Truro play their first match at their new stadium after almost four years playing away from Cornwall