Crazy Italian fan travels 1,700 miles to watch Truro City

Tru love

An Italian fan of non-league outfit Truro City is currently undertaking a 1,700-mile round trip to watch his team in action at Dover Athletic.

Student Jacopo Ghirardon left his family home in Chioggia, just south of Venice, at 2pm this afternoon to start his 21-hour trip to Dover’s Perry’s Crabble Stadium, the home of Dover Athletic Football Club.

The 19-year-old has boarded the overnight train from Venice to Paris. He will catch another train to Calais on Saturday morning, before hopping on a ferry across the Channel in plenty of time to make it to the match.

Ghirardon’s unlikely love affair with the Cornish side began three years ago while studying English culture at school – although we’re not quite sure how that leads you to Truro City! He adopted City as his proper team this season after his local side, Chioggia Sottomarina, went bust last summer.

He said: “I have always been a fan of real football.

“For many years I was a loyal supporter of Chioggia Sottomarina, who played at a level equivalent to the Blue Square Bet leagues in Italy, but they went bankrupt in 2011 and I was devastated.”

Ghirardon, who had not missed a home or away match for the three years before Chioggia folded, decided he desperately needed a new team.

He continued: “I had begun to look for Truro’s results when they were still in the Southern Leagues as I am attracted by the philosophies of non league football and then after my team died I became a full-time supporter. While studying, I fell in love with the Cornish heritage so there was only one team for me.”

Newly promoted Truro are currently 11th in the Blue Square Bet South, English football’s sixth tier, and count former Fulham and Leicester City striker Barry Hayles among their staff.

Ghirardon made his first trip to Truro last November when he and father Ettore watched the 2-0 home win against Tonbridge Angels.