Hype Train FC will be playing across both Saturday and Sunday next season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League and the Reading & District Sunday League. You can follow all of the team's season coverage right here as we provide match reports and photo galleries from our third season as a club! All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. Reading United
Date: Sunday 24th October 2021
Competition: Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy (Second Round)
Opposition: Reading United
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-1 Reading United
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against fellow RDSL Division 4 outfit, Reading United, was the team's third cup action of the season, with the team in the second round of the Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy, a cup featuring teams outside of the top divisions within the BBFA counties.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, which saw a few half-chances at either end of the field, the first crucial moment came in the 10th minute when Jack Roche made a fantastic save to deny Reading's Number 9 inside the penalty, diving to his left and getting a strong left palm on the effort after a ball from the opposing team's right was flashed into the penalty area.
Within 4 minutes, the deadlock was broken just shy of the 14th minute mark when Chris Marshall's deep free-kick was cleared away at the edge of the penalty area by Reading. The second ball was too high for the visitors to control, with Colins Akemche controlling the ball well before putting the ball just over the head of United's left central defender. The pacey Dany Setiawan was first on hand to the scene and from the right clipped a perfectly weighted ball into the penalty area, with Leon Mannion heading home into a virtually open goal as the Goalkeeper was hugging the near-post.
The first-half was very profitable for the team and reflected our best period of the game, with the team able to double our lead in the 22nd minute. With another driving run forward by Setiawan and Mannion, the ball eventually found itself to the Number 9's feet, who was hacked down outside the penalty area for a free-kick. Stepping up to the occasion was Phil Newport, who hit a low-drive to the far-right of the Reading goalkeeper, with the ball skimming on off the post - with the effort aided by the wall of the visitors which parted like the red sea. This was Newport's first goal from a dead-ball for the club!
Running away with the contest, we assumed a strong command of the cup tie during the 33rd minute when Newport flicked on a Stuart Stannard throw on the left, with Mannion collecting the ball after the flick-on went through the legs of a Reading defender. When in the penalty area, Mannion squared back for Dany Setiawan to calmly stroke the ball home with his left-foot to score his 4th goal of the season.
Half-time was a blessing for the travelling Reading side, who came out the stronger of the two sides and pulled a goal back in the 48th minute when a counter attack down the left, which started from the hands of the United keeper, saw a deep ball beat our defensive line, with the ball cut-back to their Number 9 who dispatched a low-shot past the rooted Roche in goal.
Reading could have pulled back another goal just minutes later when another well-worked effort down the right saw a cut-back from the right lead to a shot well over the bar by one of their encroaching midfielders.
The rest of the second-half saw Reading mount pressure on our goal, though the team defended expertly to deny the visitors a sniff of a way back into the game, with the game managed well until the full-time whistle was blown.
The win means we have advanced to the Last 32 of the Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy, with the squad now winning all 7 competitive games this season on Sunday's, with Setiawan's goal the 45th goal scored by the club so far this season!
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Sunday was such a good game watch for neutrals and on the side, and our most competitive game to date this season. In fact, both of our County Cup games this season have provided our best opposition and the team's two best performances of the season.
Reading United, who we believe will competing at the top of the same division as us and maybe one other team, came with a clear plan and gave us a good game, though they lost grip of the game in the first-half and allowed us to take in a strong 3-0 lead at half-time. We were deserving of the lead and the command of the game, but allowed Reading back in with an early goal. Then at 3-1 we shut the door and put in a strong, defensive performance and fought like warriors to get across the line. I couldn't be prouder of the way we stuck together in a difficult second-half, we managed the game so well and were hyper-organised defensively all morning.
It was a statement win for our league and cup ambitions, our best performance of the season so far too, as it was nice to play a team that we weren't going to walk all over for a change as our division's fixture list to date has been very kind on us. All that matters though is advancing to the next round of the cup, and we're buzzing for our Last 32 tie against stronger and stronger sides.
Thank you to Reading United for the game, they had a good bunch managing their team and no doubt they'll be running alongside us this season in the league - best of luck until we meet you down the line."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jack Roche
DEF: Colins Akemche (Basden 80')
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Callum Gibbons (van Lembergen 65')
DEF: Stuart Stannard
MID: Dany Setiawan (Terry 65')
MID: George Holloway
MID: Gino Izzo
MID: Phil Newport
MID: Jamie Carter (Hatfield 50')
FOR: Leon Mannion (Jones 60')
Substitutes:
SUB: Paul Hatfield
SUB: Scott Terry
SUB: Vincent van Lembergen SUB: Owen Jones
SUB: Daniel Basden
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Mannion goal, Setiawan assist
Goal 2: Newport goal, Mannion assist
Goal 3: Setiawan Goal, Mannion assist
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in general football and Fantasy sports reporting, starting with Fantasy Premier League (FPL), before expanding to MLS Fantasy coverage in 2018.
We pride ourselves in providing beautiful graphics, statistics, in-depth analytical reporting and free weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb rankings tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review games, live sport, and professional wrestling.
In 2019, Hype Train Football Club was formed, becoming the first Fantasy Football website to take to the field. HTFC is a socially active team across social and web channels, providing regular match highlights, match reports, comprehensive player statistics and unique player profiles. We won both Goal of the Season Awards in the Berkshire and County FA regions, with Callum Parr-Jones winning the Berks & Bucks FA award, whilst Martin King won the PlaySport UK award. In 2021, we formed the Reading Sunday Social League (RSSL), a competitive Sunday League involving 8 teams in its debut season.
The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog' in 2016 by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), and were again shortlisted as a finalist in 2019 in the 'Best Fantasy Football Blog' category.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, follow Hype Train FC on Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content, visit our club's dedicate website, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
Believe The Hype!
