FOLLOWING your football team on the road has always been a big commitment, but none more so than this year with the escalating cost of living allied to the additional mileage that Oldham Athletic fans are facing.

With the National League a largely southern based team, Latics will be clocking up the miles this season.

Of the 23 trips Latics will make in the league in the forthcoming 2022/23, only six one-way journeys fall within 100 miles.

In league games alone, Oldham will travel in excess of 7,688 miles next season.

The furthest trip is to Torquay, some 269 miles away door-to-door, from Boundary Park to Plainmoor.

But Maidstone United, Southend, Eastleigh, Dagenham and Redbridge, Bromley and Dorking are not too far behind in terms of distance.

Altrincham is the nearest opposition, marginally. The J Davidson Stadium is registered as 22.5 miles away from Boundary Park, with FC Halifax Town just 0.3 miles further.

Wrexham is 63.5 miles away, a journey that is estimated to take one hour and eight minutes via the M60 and M56.

There is a similar travel time to York, some 69.8 miles away down the M62 and A64.

Notts County is within a two-hour drive, traffic permitting. But for the rest, anyone travelling from an OL postcode will be buckling up for a long day.

And then there is the cost, courtesy of soaring fuel prices alone. Ticket prices must be factored in on top, not to mention refreshments. Even if you make a packed lunch, who can resist a pit stop service station latte? Or even a pint somewhere, if you’re lucky enough to not be the desperate driver.

But back to fuel costs… the current average price of unleaded is 190.22 pence per litre, while the average price of diesel is 198.46 pence per litre.

To cover the 7,688 miles or so in, for example, a five-door Volkswagon Golf that runs off unleaded would cost almost £1,190, based on current prices.

A round trip to Torquay from Oldham is estimated to cost almost £90, although this seems to be a conservative figure.

And while hundreds if not thousands are expected to boycott Boundary Park this season in protest against the ownership, the cost of travel is affecting some supporters’ decisions about going to away games this season.

In a Twitter poll conducted by The Oldham Times, 25 per cent of the 146 who participated said they were put off watching Latics on the road, 33 per cent said they would still travel and look to make savings elsewhere in their budget, while 42 per cent said they would not go to as many away games as they would have hoped to.