AROUND THE GROUNDS

The manager of the National League's first Cornish club on huge ambitions and seeing his own letter of dismissal get printed before his eyes...

- Interview Ed McCambridge

After previous promotions from the National League and National League North as a manager, you've just led Truro City out of National League South against all odds. How?

It was taking things one game at a time. The National League South was new to me and I didn't know most of the players. We lost our opening game against Dorking, and I felt it was going to be a hard season. But we grew into it and everything started to go for us. The players impressed with their technical level and there was a togetherness, brought about by the fact that the club had a home again. After a few years in the wilderness, we were back in Truro, playing in front of the home support. That had a big effect as well.

Truro became the first Cornish club to reach the National League. How much does geography affect the club?

Oh, it's huge. Recruitment is very tough because convincing players to move to such a remote part of the country isn't an easy sell. You're immediately at a disadvantage. Every away trip is five hours, at least, so any players joining us for an away day after work are finishing their nine to five and then not arriving at the hotel until almost midnight. Not ideal. It's been a massive achievement for the players to do what they've done. This is a beautiful part of the world and those that do come, love living here. Getting them here is the hard part!

You spent your entire playing career at Macclesfield Town, playing more than 600 games between 1984 and 2003. How do you look back on that?