Eighteen years ago, little semi-professional club Truro City sat in the Vanarama South having never played at a higher standard of football. But the arrival of hometown hero Perran Trevelyan marked a significant shift in fortunes as they blazed their way through the English football system and, in their fourth season in the Premier League, became Champions of England in May 2042.
Trevelyan took control of Truro back in the summer of 2023 and immediately led his hometown club to the Vanarama National League South. Truro received a tycoon takeover led by owner Richard Mukherjee in the second half of their first season in the Vanarama National, and three seasons in the fifth tier followed before winning promotion in the third season as Champions. That saw Truro become Cornwall’s first-ever Football League club, and they consolidated that position by finishing 15th in their first season in League Two, then got promoted in 2nd place. They settled nicely into League One, finishing just outside the playoffs in 8th place then qualifying for the playoffs in 6th but lost 2-1 on aggregate to Wimbledon in the semis. But they built on that to secure promotion in 2032, finishing 2nd in League One.
Trevelyan continued to secure the best-ever league finishes in club history by finishing 16th then 9th in the Championship. They regressed for the first time in 2034/35, dropping to 13th, but improved again to finish 4th the next season, losing to Hull in the playoff final. The Truro dream was boosted by Mukherjee completing the construction of the Truro City Stadiumn in 2036. A 5th-place finish followed in 2036/37 and Truro lost 2-0 to Southampton in the playoff semis. But they removed the playoff heartache the following season, charging to win the Championship by 5 points from Leicester.
That saw Truro become Cornwall’s first ever Premier League representatives, and they embraced the step up in style. They wrapped up a comfortable 9th-place finish in season one, then finished 8th in 2039/40. Trevelyan continued to blend homegrown talents, and they went close to a title in 2040/41, just missing out to Newcastle. But they went one better the following season, as a stadium expansion to a capacity of 34,961 preceded Truro becoming Cornwall’s first national champions, winning the Premier League by 7 points from Aston Villa.
Trevelyan passed the 1,000 games mark at Truro this season, ending the campaign with 6,908 days in charge. In his 1,006 matches, Truro have won 491, drawn 253 and lost 262, scoring 1,569 (1.56 per game) and conceding 1,158 (1.15 per game). That’s a win ratio of 48%, en route to earning five promotions, winning two cup competitions and four league titles.
In 18 years at the club, Trevelyan had sold 94 players for a total of £195m and bought 120 players for a total of £200m. His record sale was the £26.5m received for homegrown midfielder Abdul Turay and his record signing was attacker Ilja Isbouts for £50m from Willem II last summer. and the manager had earned £3.4m in that time.
The Premier League success was also Truro City’s first major trophy, having not won a domestic or continental cup. It followed on from winning the Championship in 2038, the EFL Trophy in 2031, the National League in 2027, the FA Trophy in 2026 and the Vanarama South in 2024. So, I hear you ask, who are the class of 2042 who became the heroes of Cornwall? Here is the Truro squad that won the Premier League:
Truro’s Title Winning Starting Eleven
GK – David Navalón: The Argentinian goalkeeper signed for just £200k from Dep. Armenio in the January of Truro’s Championship winning campaign. He transformed their fortunes that season and is frequently a gamewinner for Truro, keeping 57 clean sheets in 160 league games for the club. He’s also played 24 times for Argentina.
RB – Enzo Parra: Another Argentinian, Parra signed for just £2m from All Boys at the start of the Championship-winning campaign. Initially coming in as a centre back, he’s transitioned across to a solid right back who’s considered the 3rd-best player at the club. Still only 23, he’s already played 170 league games for Truro and also won 24 caps for Argentina.
CB – Marin Borko: Another key cog in the solid Truro defence, Croatian centre back Borko was also acquired on the cheap for £3m from Osijek ahead of Truro’s first Premier League campaign. He solidly averages around a 7.00 without causing much of a goal threat and boasts great physicals and mentals alongside, very randomly, excellent dribbling ability.
CB – Gabriel Larrea: If you thought the previous three defensive options were bargains, then signing Larrea for £96k from Boston River is daylight robbery. The strong centre back has excellent marking and aerial ability, despite only being 5’11, alongside decent technique. He signed in January before the Championship promotion and has gone on to make 202 league appearances and 34 caps for Uruguay.
LB – Vanderson Pereira: The cheapest option in the backline, Pereira signed for free after being released by Gremio in 2036. He’s progressed massively since promotion and scored 10 goals plus 27 assists in 223 league games, pairing strong physicals with decent technical ability.
DM – Euan Whyte: The rock in the Truro team is homegrown Whyte, who came through the academy in 2034 and has made 233 league appearances since. He made his England debut last season and the Falmouth-born local hero now has 6 caps for his country. Whyte boasts all-round attributes that make him the perfect ball-winner.
DM – Alejandro Silva: Club captain and playmaker Silva joined on loan from Nacional in 2036 and signed permanently for a then club record £4m ahead of the Championship-winning season. He’s since contributed 26 goals and 52 assists in 212 league games for the club, and acclimatised to a deeper role this season. He’s also won 26 caps for Uruguay.
CM – Joao Paulo: Unquestionably, the superstar in the Truro team is Brazilian midfielder JP, who signed from Cuiabá for just £5m in January of the Championship-winning campaign. His numbers dropped off in the season just gone, having scored 29 league goals in the previous two, but he’s scored 48 in 161 league games and scored 3 in 24 caps for Brazil.
AM – Sascha Ablinger: The great deals keep coming with exciting midfielder Ablinger, who emerged as a starter at the end of the season to inspire his side to the title. He brings much-needed great technique, flair and movement to the team and has 9 goals and 10 assists in 56 league games.
AM – Ilja Isbouts: Truro’s club record signing joined for £50m from Willem II last summer. The wonderkid looks set to become a superstar and scored 7 with 5 assists in his first season in England after dropping into a deeper role.
ST – Maurício Genofre: Pushing Paulo close for the honour of superstar, Genofre joined for just £5.75m and now earns a huge £275k a week. He’s developed into a truly elite striker with phenomenal finishing, physicals, speed and technique. And he should probably score even more goals than he does, currently on 63 in 139 for Truro and 4 in 13 caps for Brazil.
Truro City’s Title Winning Backup Options
GK – Kenneth Clemmensen: Navalón’s backup is a more than decent option, given Clemmensen only conceded once in four Premier League games last season and made 25 saves in eight games in total. The homegrown talent came through the academy in 2034 and, now 24, has established himself as second choice.
CB – Edílson: The Colombian is arguably one of the best centre backs around with great pace and tackling ability. Picked up for £3m in 2038, he’s progressed massively this season and made 62 league appearances and just made his debut for Colombia.
FB – Rodrigo Palacio: Versatile Palacio is Truro’s Swiss army knife, filling in anywhere across the back four. He signed for £2.1m in Truro’s first Premier League campaign and proven a solid rotation option, playing 72 league games in four seasons.
RB – Frederick Adade: Homegrown Adade came through the Truro academy in 2035 and played 142 league games since. A sold full back with great crossing, he’s dropped down the pecking order to Parra but is a very reliable backup option.
FB – Antonio Caro: One of Truro’s more expensive signings, Caro offers plenty of potential at just 18, having signed for £20m last summer. He’ll likely get more playing time over the next couple of seasons.
DM – Kane Atkinson: Another homegrown talent, Atkinson came through the academy in 2035 and got an assist on his debut aged just 15. He’s gone on to make 224 league appearances and very recently made his debut for England. And his hard-working ethos makes him the ideal backup to Whyte.
MF – Dieter Peterson: A more expensive acquisition, Peterson is a solid rotation midfield option with superb playmaking abilities. He joined for £35m from Middlesbrogh in 2040 and has scored 7 with just 2 assists in 61 league games, plus 1 goal in 6 England caps.
MF – Hiroaki Sakaguchi: A versatile midfield option, Sakaguchi signed for £7.75m last summer and scored 11 goals in his first campaign in England. He has solid creative ability and great amounts of pace and physical competency, so should be a solid squad option in the years to come.
MF – Richard Ferguson: Another versatile option, wonderkid Ferguson only joined in January for a cut-price £29m, but looks like being a good midfield talent. He scored a couple of goals in the cups and performed solidly in a handful of league games.
AM – Bernard Touré: A player who promised so much but ultimately delivered very little. Touré signed for just £200k in 2037 and scored 15 goals in the Championship-winning campaign. But only scored 22 in four Premier League campaigns and demanded silly money compared to the output he offered. And, spoilers, he’s leaving for more than a 100-fold profit.
ST – Dion Beeney: Truro’s lack of backup strikers saw Beeney recalled from a loan spell at National League Bury… and scored more goals in the Premier League and starred in a cameo Champions League appearance against Man United. Coming through the academy in 2040, the hard-working striker has shown plenty of promise and will get more gametime to try and develop another homegrown gem.
Looking To The Future At Truro City
Trevelyan’s long-term aims with Truro never really went beyond becoming Cornwall’s first EFL club and then becoming its first Premier League representative. So to go and win the Premier League and play at Real Madrid in the Champions League seemed almost unthinkable. In terms of next steps, Trevelyan had his eyes set on trying to defend their maiden title. He also wanted to try and win a domestic cup and try to win a European trophy with Truro. Beyond that, he had no major objectives other than trying to snap up the best young players in the world and trying to develop his homegrown talents.
Therefore, and in the vein hope that we’ll soon be expecting FM26 – for context, this blog was written way back on 16 May! – we’ll aim to extend this series for at least another five seasons to take us through to the start of October.
So could Trevelyan’s Truro defend their maiden Premier League title and challenge Europe’s elite in 2042/43? Join us on Wednesday to find out!
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