Helston's players celebrate scoring against Bishop's Cleeve in the FA Cup second qualifying round
Helston's players celebrate scoring against Bishop's Cleeve in the FA Cup second qualifying round

Paul Hendy is the chairman of Helston Athletic.

A long day on the road is almost always the result of an away tie. The weekend is the same.

Helston's team coach will leave at 07:30 for Weston-super-Mare, a 340-mile round trip that involves five stops along the way to pick up players and staff.

They were on their way to Bishop's Cleeve with breakfast pots.

The club nicknamed the Blues will have racked up 1,250 miles in the FA Cup this season with their fourth away tie in eight weeks.

Hundreds of clubs are worried about heating costs, energy bills and fuel prices because of the cost of living crisis.

Didcot Town, who play in the Southern League Division One Central, say their energy bill is increasing from £1,250 per month to £5,450.

The kick-off time for the home game against Walsall on October 15th has been moved to try and mitigate the increase in energy bills.

Helston are bracing themselves for a tough time in the Western League premier division.

"We've already been approached by a club in our league asking if we would agree to change the kick-off time so that they can save on floodlights," says Hendy.

Our club house used to be open. It's not right now. When there is only one person in the store, we can't afford it.

Helston believes they can ride out the financial storm and provide the town with a community facility for many years to come.

The club's treasurer is a former bank manager.

Helston Athletic chairman Paul Hendy (left) and treasurer Sandra Egan
Paul Hendy is Helston Athletic's chairman and groundsman while club treasurer Sandra Egan is a former bank manager who washes the kit

'Petrol prices difficult for us'

Tens of thousands of tourists visit the picturesque Cornish fishing port of Porthleven every year.

The core of the team's players are based in a two hour drive away from Helston.

One of the players is on a contract. Expenses are paid to the rest, but no wages.

The manager of the Blues says that Helston is far away.

When we are trying to recruit players from further away, they might be hesitant because fuel costs more than it did.

"I hear murmurs from players about the cost of petrol and that's where it gets a little bit difficult for us."

Even though he is 200 miles away, Tom Hands still plays for the team despite the cost of living crisis.

Helston's groundsman, Hendy, says that he travels down every game.

All of them are young. They are affected by rising costs because they have mortgages.

It cost me $102 to fill my car up. It was a max of £75 a few years ago.

Players Josh Storey (right) and Tyler Elliott (centre) help Paul Osborne, who runs the Blues Kitchen which serves food to fans on matchdays, with the washing up
Players Josh Storey (right) and Tyler Elliott (centre) help Paul Osborne, who runs the Blues Kitchen which serves food to fans on matchdays, with the washing up

From scoring in Europe to Helston

The bar on matchdays is run by Hendy. The 57-year-old was once a player for the club.

Helston has been promoted three times in his nine years as chairman, while Kellaway Park has seen more than $100,000 in improvements.

The director of football has also been named. Steve Massey scored against Real Zaragoza in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1986 to become part of the folklore.

Hendy is a retired operations manager who devotes 50 hours a week to the club with his partner, a former bank manager.

The kit is washed by one of the volunteers who help keep the town going.

Helston's players celebrate scoring against Bishop's Cleeve in the FA Cup second qualifying round
Helston Athletic are playing in the FA Cup third qualifying round for the first time

There are teams that are struggling. We came from an environment where we were told to get rid of waste. The club needs to survive in order to survive.

We have changed the energy supplier and the brewery who serve drinks for the bar.

We had a company pull out of a sponsorship deal but we move on. Businesses that support us don't have to. We don't get exposure on national television.

We're fortunate that we're next to a road that has 12,000 vehicles pass by every day. It's a great place to advertise and we take full advantage of it.

Helston's average league crowd is about 150 people who pay a range of prices to see the Blues play.

The FA Cup replay with Bishop's Cleeve had 351 people in it. We had a few people who climbed over the fence.

The prices have been discussed. We're not interested in that. We want to give people the chance to enjoy the game.

Helston Athletic's players receive granola pots for long away journeys
Helston Athletic's players receive granola pots to eat on the team coach for long away journeys

Free travel to Weston-super-Mare

The cost of living crisis has prompted Helston to give away free coach travel to fans who play two levels higher.

There is no pressure on the team because they have exceeded expectations in the FA Cup.

This is the club's best FA Cup run in 126 years and Hendy is determined to give as many fans as possible the chance to see the game.

Some of the money earned from this season's run will be used to fund the travel, while Helston's women's team secured an additional £1,000 after winning their FA Cup first qualifying round tie with Crediton United.

"Although there is a lot going on with the cost of living, we are in a better position than we were," says Hendy.

The money from the FA Cup will not be spent on electric and gas because we will cut our costs for that.

It will be used to improve facilities and serve as a reminder of the year we made it through to the third round of the FA Cup.