914 miles, 185 fans – doing English football’s longest away day

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185 fans supported Truro City as they kicked off in the National League at Gateshead on Saturday, marking the furthest stretch in English league football history.

Never before has a team traveled as far as Truro had on the verge of three points as Truro did when the team was promoted from the regional divisions to the national level for the first time this summer.

Truro, 7am Friday

In the dim dawn light, the wind sways around the parking lot, rattling the corrugated supermarket shutters, and causing discarded carrier bags to sag in the rain to hit the tarmac.

For years, Shane Hendra and his friends have taken this location for their away matches.

He claims, “This is exactly why we love football because it’s so exciting.”

For breakfast, a packet of Cornish pasties is carried around the vehicle. The group anticipates arriving at their Newcastle hotel around 5 o’clock after a few stops along the way.

Matt Hall, a historian for the Truro club, is seated in the back alongside me. He has enjoyed getting to travel further afield with his team.

He continues, “It’s incredible.” It’s a whole new level of support,” she said.

My dad passed away, but I spent decades with him. You get to know everyone at the games because we don’t have that many fans. I met these men, and we are currently traveling together.

Four Truro fans hold a banner before they set off on the journey to play Gateshead away in the National LeagueBBB Sport

Friday, Exeter, 9am

The Truro team travels by executive coach from Exeter to Exeter, the only team from Cornwall to ever compete at this level.

They will spend the afternoon at Derby County’s training facility before flying to Gateshead on Saturday morning and staying there overnight.

The club’s ability to travel is arguably greater than that of their competitors.

In full team tracksuit at a service station, board member Rob Butland claims that “the most obvious disadvantage is financial.” To make the most of each long journey, we must find money.

Even our closest away games are only a few counties away. Simply put, it’s crazy.

The trick is to make the traveling a strength, using it as a force that unites the group.

Friday, 3 p.m. in Bristol

I part ways with Hendra’s group in Bristol as they pick up another passenger, send them a message, and fly over to meet fans in the North East.

Flying is by far the most environmentally destructive mode of transportation, but the majority of fans believe it to be the only viable option due to the prohibitively high cost of train tickets and the unenviable drive-in.

No organized coach travel or official supporters’ trust exists for the club.

These kinds of trips have been made for the past and are to be enjoyed, for those whose generations of Truro have supported them.

John Joyce, 50, who travels with his 23-year-old son Tom, says, “It’s a big part of our relationship.”

Because we all share this commonality, my friends are his friends, and vice versa.

Tom continues, “We’re treating it like a one-off chance in case we go back down,” adding, “I’ve been buzzing for all the trips.”

Success could help these epic trips, making the prospect of glory seem less daunting.

Truro are, blatantly, one of the nation’s worst professional teams.

They have been particularly hampered on their travels because they are third in the National League.

The results don’t really matter, John says, “you might think these people are mad” for going so far, watching their team lose,” to be honest.

A photo of Truro City fans Tom and John Joyce on their way to GatesheadBBB Sport

Newcastle on Saturday at 2am

Fans of Truro are more accustomed to spending their days drinking pints in more serene provincial southern towns, but promotion has allowed them to have a fun-loving Friday night out at one of the nation’s best party spots.

Newcastle is sure to tick every box. They’re satisfied at the Quayside for fans looking for a good old-fashioned British boozer to munch on all night.

They have taken themselves to the Bigg Market for the upbeat crowd looking for a late-night dance floor. And karaoke aficionados couldn’t be more catered for.

Gateshead on Saturday, 3 p.m.

There are plenty of sore heads before the game, and the majority of them choose to take a free pint from the Fog on the Tyne pub for the first 100 Truro fans who arrive.

Gateshead play in an 11, 800-capacity stadium that was built to house athletics events and gigs, but have the league’s lowest average attendance.

As Truro kick off, the home stands are almost entirely empty, the temperature has dropped, and the outside terrace’s teeth are rumbling.

A few neutral groundhoppers who are interested in being a part of history, who are enthralled by the novelty of the journey and the presence of a few, higher than usual, are among the 185 away attendees.

When the match begins, Truro are uncharacteristically captivating. After five minutes, Dominic Johnson-Fisher gave them adeserved lead. Their lead was doubled just before half-time thanks to defender Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose father Mark and brother Alex played for England during their careers, after two more goals were sadly denied.

The away end is bedlam at halftime.

However, after the break, Gateshead improve and score twice in the 70th minute, with West Ham’s first senior player Frank Nouble scoring the winning goal.

Luke Jephcott puts his finish wide, but Truro has a fantastic chance to win it in stoppage time, one-on-one with the unbeaten keeper.

A decades-old fan who also played for the club’s women’s team, Sharon Hinds, says, “I would have taken a point before kick-off, I suppose.”

Truro City fans celebrate one of the club's goals against Gateshead in the National LeagueBBB Sport

Truro on Sunday at 1 a.m.

John and Tom Joyce are just two of the first fans to return to Truro.

“Has it been worthwhile to travel?” Absolutely,” says John. Following our team is what we do, and this trip will be a part of our family for a long time.

It’s unlikely that Truro’s new record will soon be broken.

A league meeting with Truro is improbable because Mousehole and Falmouth are a little further south than Truro, but their respective teams only play regionally in the region and only Newcastle, the top club, and Blyth Spartans, the eighth-tier team, are both further north than Gateshead.

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Meghan Markle ‘stopping at nothing’ as she goes it alone without Prince Harry

According to sources, Meghan Markle has hints that she plans to expand her As Ever brand and follow in Victoria Beckham’s footsteps and create a beauty empire.

Her Netflix lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, may have failed to impress, but it appears this setback has done little to derail the Duchess of Sussex’s plans to expand her brand. With her latest venture – believed to be her own make-up and beauty range – Meghan is taking inspiration from pop star-turned-fashion and beauty mogul Victoria Beckham.

Meghan, 44, has been trying to make a name for herself in the lifestyle industry ever since stepping down as a working royal and resuming her position in 2020. Dermot McNamara, a PR expert, tells OK! that Meghan has always been strategic about brand building. It would seem natural to launch a beauty line after the US has embraced her as a lifestyle tastemaker. In many ways, she emulates the strategies of famous people like Victoria Beckham and the Kardashians, who have created global empires out of their personal lives.

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Last week, rumours began circulating that Meghan is on the cusp of launching what’s been dubbed a “mega-brand” after she was pictured with the business powerhouse behind Kim Kardashian ’s multi-million dollar SKIMS range.

Emma Grede, a British-born businesswoman who has appeared on TV’s Dragons ‘ Den, shared photos of the Duchess at a famous, all-female dinner summit in Los Angeles, where guests slammed Meghan’s own As Ever Sauvignon Blanc.

In recent weeks, Meghan has been dropping hints that she’s preparing to dip her toe into the world of beauty, posting clips of herself applying lipstick – but with the brand name concealed. Dermot says it’s a savvy move to drip-feed beauty content to the public.

She’s repositioning herself as relatable, hands-on, and creative, he says, reaffirming her in 2025 by doing her own make-up and posting it online. Meghan is taking control of both personality and product, according to the fandom.

She clearly positions herself as a self-made entrepreneur rather than a royal adjunct, from the blurred product shots in her reels to the references to her “signature glow.” It’s sophisticated, contemporary, and in tune with American consumers.

The Duchess’s TV shows have heavily tapped into her royal connections, most notably Harry’s 41-year-old husband, but sources claim the mother-of-two is eager to launch her own business.

She’d love for Harry to be involved in whatever she’s doing, but that’s not how it’s played out, according to a source who spoke to OK! She will do anything to ensure that As Ever is a success and is willing to go it alone.

More than a year ago, Meghan spearheaded her most recent business venture by registering a trademark application to market “ceuticals, cosmetics, and fragrances” in the market.

Meghan, whose other role model is actress-turned-lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow, is said to have taken note of former Spice Girl Victoria’s success and wants to take some of the beauty pie.

According to PR guru Lynn Carratt, “She’s witnessed what Victoria has done, how she’s built her brand, and how it’s been a huge success.” Because I’ve worn Victoria’s clothing before and am a fan, Meghan wants to see if the general public wants a make-up line. People will buy her beauty products regardless of whether you like or dislike her because she has a large following in the USA.

Meghan has been busy, and she wants to be taken more seriously in her own right. Before attending the Project Healthy Minds gala in New York, where she and Harry won the Humanitarian of the Year Award, she made her Paris Fashion Week debut alongside Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour earlier this month.

She spoke about the importance of “financial independence” at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit two weeks ago in Washington, DC.

She “mixes in fashion and beauty circles and is establishing contacts with the industry,” Lynn claims. She’ll be featured more frequently at Fashion Weeks, in my opinion.

Lynn also cites Kylie Jenner as a likely inspiration, which could explain Meghan’s recent appearance with SKIMS co-founder Emma Grede. “We’ve seen how well Kylie Jenner’s done with her make-up range – becoming a billionaire,” says Lynn. “So I think Meghan is looking at these people and thinking, ‘I can do that.’”

While Lynn acknowledges that Meghan’s previous projects have been “a little inconsistent,” she believes beauty could be the best course of action.

Continue reading the article.

She claims that “from a PR standpoint, she has something she could make a lot of money off of.” She has everything if she can adapt As Ever to beauty, fashion, and make-up.

She has the assurance that she can succeed with her brand, and that she is determined to do so, according to our source. She is aware of how popular she is in the US. She is determined to succeed, doesn’t need a royal seal of approval, and she is.

Coleen Nolan’s strict orders from cancer-stricken sisters as she says ‘I have no right’

Coleen Nolan, a TV star and Loose Women star, sets the bar high on family and friendship and shares the heartbreaking counsel she received from her now-deceased sisters.

Coleen Nolan, a Loose Women fan, insists that she and her ex-husband are her “best friends” just days after it was reported that the TV star and Ray Fensome, who she split from in 2018, went through a “bitter” divorce. This couldn’t possibly be further from the truth, says Blackpool-born Coleen in an exclusive conversation with OK!

Ray, a musician, recently appeared on Loose Women during their groundbreaking mental health-inspired programme, playing guitar in the Loose band. “Before the programme had even finished, there was a story online about how Ray had been offered a full-time job at Loose Women , even though we had a terrible divorce,” Coleen says. The speculation, the 60-year-old explains, can be “really frustrating”, adding, “I don’t know why they’ve massively got it in for Loose .”

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In response to persistent rumors of conflict and toxic behavior in the show’s background, Coleen defiantly declares, “On my children’s lives, that’s just not true. It’s not true. We resemble what we do on-screen exactly.

We’re like sisters, so it never lasts. There are times when you say, “You’re getting on my nerves, now.” It’s a shame. There isn’t anything like it, and Loose is such a good show because we’ve accomplished so many wonderful things.

Panellists are subjected to some form of social media trolling, she says with a sigh, whether it be about their appearance or opinions. And as Coleen admits, it can get to her.

It’s unfortunate that they are trying to beat it down, which is typically women. Women should be champions of women! But the genie is out of the bottle, with social media. Only if it will seriously hurt people, when I’m drawn to trolls. It’s absurd.

Coleen says she rarely sees any criticism of the male panellists based on their appearance or topics they talk about”. It comes out as soon as it’s women. She continues, “it’s bizarre.”

But for Coleen, who grew up in one of the most famous singing families in the country, there are still aspects of her life that she hesitates to share on-air.

As far as my breakups from my husbands go, I don’t share anything with personal stuff until it’s somewhat settled. Not Shane]Richie], because we’d already broken up before I started Loose Women – that’s how I got on Loose Women.

“But Ray and I spent a few years talking about it before we actually came out and discussed it.” It’s unfair on the other person because I’m always aware of them. Obviously, when it’s all done, I’ll say, ‘ Yeah, it was a hard couple of years, ‘ but not while we’re going through it – it was hard for him as well”.

Coleen first admits that she is a “great talker” and prefers to talk openly than to keep things bottled up, but she also reveals that her brutal honesty has occasionally led her into difficult situations at home.

After discussing marriage and family on Loose, she says, “Sometimes I’ve come home silent.” “I say to them, ‘ Look, I do a show and if a topic about kids or divorce comes up, I’m going to talk about it. ‘”

Coleen, who moved to a six-acre farm in Dilhorne, Staffordshire, in 2024 to fulfill her dream of being surrounded by animals in the countryside, admits that she doesn’t feel much like a “celebrity” because she has been singing and performing since she was two.

“I think people have a certain impression of celebrities, and I’m not that. I’m not at every red-carpet event. I’m happiest at home, covered in horse poo and taking the dogs for a walk! And as far as being open, I’d rather be that way – I don’t think the public are stupid. If you go on air and deliver a fake persona, which a lot do, it’s hard to live up to.”

Her older sisters Maureen, Anne, and Denise recently performed The Nolans’ biggest hits on stage, but Coleen says she is unprepared for the band’s return, aside from the occasional family gathering or one-time performance.

As a family, the Nolans have suffered devastating heartache, not least, the deaths of Bernie in 2013 and Linda in January of this year, both after courageously battling cancer right until the end. Coleen admits that going without them would be too strange.

Without Bernie and Linda, I couldn’t go on a tour. Bernie was the lead singer, and Linda was a force to be reckoned with. I would miss them way too much. The four of us wouldn’t feel the same when we actually performed.

Heartbreakingly, Coleen reveals that her two sisters gave the family strict rules when they first fell ill. “I remember Bernie saying to me, ‘ I’ll give you two weeks to cry and cry a lot because I’m worth it, but then, shut up and get back out there. ‘ That is what I recall. The same Linda existed. If they can be that strong when they went through what they went through, I have no right to hide under a duvet”.

She adds that Coleen and her family were greatly comforted by the public’s outpouring of love as they battled both setbacks. “It meant so much to us and it makes me so sad for people that haven’t got that. Some people have to deal with those situations alone, perhaps without a family. I was so appreciative of it. It really helped, a lot. The Blackpool Tower, when Linda passed away, didn’t tell us when they turned it pink the next day. It was very emotional.

Coleen says talking about grief on the show can be tough. It’s sometimes difficult because you have to go out, smile, and put on a face. I started therapy after Linda’s passing because I found it to be very difficult for a while. I really struggled to get back on the horse. However, life goes on, and your bills always seem to be paying. I don’t know how I would have felt if I had been a multimillionaire; that’s why I needed therapy; I needed a logical person to explain things to me. I needed someone I could cry openly with. Because my family was going through their own pain, I didn’t want to cry in front of them.

Grief is something that Coleen is still coming to terms with, as she reveals how, like many people, it hits her out of the blue, leaving her heartbroken all over again. But most recently, Coleen has found joy on her farm, which she documents on her own YouTube channel, adding that she would “absolutely” love to do a family reality show. “I did pitch it to a lot of channels,” she confesses. “I’m probably the wrong age and size for them. I don’t fit the criteria.”

However, there are still many options open. Next year, Coleen is on the road again for This Is Me, her second solo tour, promising a night of laughter, stories, surprises – and even a song or two. “I’m really excited!” Because I haven’t yet put it together, I’m a little anxious. I’m at that stage where I’m having sleepless nights thinking about how we’re going to do it”!

Fans who had forgotten Coleen was a singer first contacted her after her recent performance on Loose Women. She says, “I very rarely sing any more,” and that all I’ve ever done is realize that’s what I was born to do. It’s nice to be able to do both on this tour. I want to ask the audience questions and answers, have fun, and then interject my life story with songs.

She’s “scared” of the stories his older son, musician Shane Nolan, may spill, and she’s excited to see him play. “When we did the last tour, Shane was my support, then came on during my set. Because he is my son, I can tell him to shut up because I’m comfortable with him”! she asserts.

“He knows me and I know him, we’ve got the exact same sense of humour, and he’s such an entertainer”.

Continue reading the article.

This Is Me tour dates in February 2026, according to Coleen Nolan.

£160m and counting – Everton’s search for their dream striker

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Everton, who have won three and drawn two games this season, come into Hill Dickinson Stadium undefeated on Sunday.

A question mark still appears at center-forward, which has been a problem position since Romelu Lukaku left in 2017, despite a summer of largely successful recruitment.

Over the past ten years, the Toffees have signed 17 strikers for almost £160 million, with distinctly mixed outcomes.

The problematic position

The Blues have scored 357 Premier League goals, which is the fewest of any team ever present since Lukaku’s sale in the summer of 2017.

Despite playing two seasons in the second tier, Leicester City have scored 388 goals, 31 more than the Toffees did in the same time.

Everton are yet to find a reliable long-term option despite signing 17 strikers at the time, and selection issues persist as a result.

It was also the third time manager David Moyes felt the need to switch his centre-forward at half-time in their most recent home victory against previously unbeaten Crystal Palace.

Beto should have buried a close-range header, which Moyes later said was inappropriate, but instead led to Jack Grealish bundling in a stoppage-time winner.

After failing to convert a low cross from Iliman Ndiaye into an open goal, Beto missed a wonderful chance to open the scoring in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester City.

The men in charge

Everton forward Thierno Barry during the Premier League win against Crystal PalaceImages courtesy of Getty

In his second season in a prestigious European league, Barry, a £27 million summer signing from Villarreal, will understandably need some time to adjust to the pace of Premier League play.

The 22-year-old scored 11 goals in La Liga last season, but he lacks patience and raw talent.

Everton’s fanbase is frequently irritated by Guinea-Bissau international Beto, who recently signed for £21.5 million from Udinese.

On the one hand, Everton’s recovery from relegation was largely influenced by a flurry of five goals in four matches in February, including a well-taken one-touch finish in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

The Unholy Trinity podcast host Mike Richards remarked, “Beto epitomises the struggle.”

It was a deal of convenience rather than quality, according to Udinese, who was willing to accept a deal with no initial payment.

Despite the love that so many of us harbor for him, he won’t be the 20-goal-per-season striker we crave.

‘Big Rom’ being replaced

Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring for Everton in a Premier League game against Burnley in April 2017 Images courtesy of Getty
Lukaku first signed for Chelsea in 2013, but he did so on loan until the following summer, for a club record $ 28 million.

No Everton forward has ever come close to replicating Lukaku’s performance.

Everton forward Oumar Niasse during a Premier League game against Huddersfield Town in 2018 Images courtesy of Getty
Idrissa Gueye, a close friend of Niasse, still plays at home against Everton.

Being a striker requires you to respond each week at a club like Everton, he said.

“When I watch Everton right now and watch some of the players when they are in doubt, I get it because there is a lot of pressure and a big story here,” says one player. “Unfortunately, we haven’t been where we should be recently.”

Beto, for example, is difficult to criticize because he is passionate and enjoys playing for Everton.

The positive

Former Everton forward Richarlison during a Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on 19 May 2022Images courtesy of Getty

Both Richarlison and Everton’s search for their next elite goalscorer and their timing were key.

A graphic showing former Richarlison's starting positions for Everton in the Premier LeagueOpta

Richarlison scored 10 goals in his final Everton campaign in 2021-22, avoiding relegation by making 66% of his Premier League starts at center-forward.

However, the club’s parlous financial situation and the pressure of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) led to the acceptance of a £60 million offer from Tottenham in July 2022, when he had a year to go on his contract. The 25-year-old was becoming more established in a central role.

The main concern for Dominic Calvert-Lewin was fitness.

He signed for Sheffield United for a bargain sum of £1.5 million in 2016 and was a prolific scorer under Carlo Ancelotti’s leadership, earning him England recognition.

The negative

With nine permanent managers at Everton in 12 years, it has been more difficult for strikers to establish themselves at the club.

Sam Allardyce praised Cenk Tosun for being “the best in Europe” for the money he spent when he signed for £27 million in 2017, but a managerial change led to his eventual return to Besiktas due to injuries and Marco Silva’s managerial managerial appointment, which led to his eventual return to Besiktas after only nine top-flight goals.

Following a breakout season at Juventus, Moise Kean made his debut in 2019 with a stirring performance before making his debut in Italy two years later.

Salomon Rondon, Joshua King, Enner Valencia, and Armando Broja’s short-term moves failed to pay off, while Sandro Ramirez, a Malaga academy graduate, made three Premier League starts in four years with a cheap deal from Barcelona.

In January, will Everton make a purchase?

Liam Delap during Ipswich's final Premier League game against West Ham on 25 May 2025 Images courtesy of Getty

Everton’s search for a top-level striker has been severely hampered by limited resources.

Between 2021-22 and the end of 2024-25, the club made an additional £85 million in profit from player trading as a result of its financial difficulties, which included multiple points deductions for PSR breaches.

The signings of 19-year-old Tyler Dibling and 22-year-old Barry highlight the need to box clever in the transfer market, bringing in young talent that could be acquired for a profit if necessary.

Everton have been operating at the bottom of the food chain in recent years, and nearly half of the £2.6 billion spent by Premier League clubs this summer went to players.

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The Wanted’s Siva opens up on new fears in wake of tragic pal Tom Parker’s death

Siva Kaneswaren, the Wanted star, has opened up about how Tom Parker’s passing has affected him and how it has inspired him to face his own fears and make the most of his life.

Siva Kaneswaren, the bandmate of the late Tom Parker from The Wanted, has spoken out about how Tom’s tragic passing at the age of 33 has affected him.

Siva is currently supporting Memory Bank, a new art installation that honours the experiences of brain cancer patients and their loved ones, and it’s prompted him to reflect on his own journey.

He described how confronting his own fears prompted him to discuss Tom’s premature passing in an exclusive conversation with the Express.

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When Tom was diagnosed, life was squeezed out every second, and I was reminded of how death teaches you how to live. I immediately signed up to do all the things I’m afraid of because it wasn’t as terrifying as what he had gone through as soon as that. Celebrity SAS made me laugh despite my fear. On Dancing on Ice, I skated on knives until the semi-final. He recalled how much he devoted his life to him on that program.

“I did so many things that I was afraid of.” I recently saw a theatre show where you sing in Spanish because I wanted to learn Spanish. Right after his passing, I did everything, literally speaking. He continued, revealing that he had previously made a surprise trip back to his native Ireland from his LA residence for his mother’s birthday. “I connected with my family once more,” he said.

Reflecting on his final days with Tom, Siva Kaneswaran admitted there were a lot of tears. “We got so close towards the end. We cleared the air. We said things we never thought we’d say to each other. We cried a lot together. Everything just seemed so small now, and all the problems we had – we always butted heads, we always had tempers – the memories we made together I’ll cherish,” he shared, reports the Express.

Siva and the rest of The Wanted had to share their grief with one of the few people who could fully comprehend what it felt like after Tom’s passing.

When I bumped into Danny from The Script in Malibu after hiking, we both had just spoken about how strange it is to grieve in public. He and his bandmate, guitarist Mark Sheehan, passed away in April of that year at the age of 43.

He said, “But sometimes the therapy itself is talking about it in public, just getting it out, and just letting people know. It’s challenging. Every time I sing Gold Forever, Tom’s piece, I have to talk about him because I’m on a US tour with The Wanted 2.0. He confessed, “I have to get it out, because I just get so upset when I don’t get it out.”

He acknowledged that he was inspired by these feelings to back the Memory Bank initiative.

Losing one’s memory is one of the biggest worries of those with glioblastoma. It occurs very quickly. Positive memories are brought to life through this installation.

Because Tom Parker and his family figuratively called themselves the positive Parkers, it became a connection with me. Negative or stressful behavior was avoided. Literally, we laughed it out loud, and it was much appreciated.

Tom was given a life expectancy of six months to a year when he was diagnosed. He endured 18 months of treatment. In 18 months, he accomplished so much. I witnessed a spiritual warrior.

Continue reading the article.

The Memory Bank installation will be on display at the Oxford Westgate Shopping Centre before moving on to the GenesisCare Center in Oxford later in the fall. The GenesisCare website also has it available. Visit the website for more details.