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. Wraysbury FC
Date: Sunday 28th November 2021
Competition: Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy (Last 32)
Opposition: Wraysbury FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 5-0 Wraysbury FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against Thames Valley Sunday Premier League (TVSPL) outfit, Wraysbury FC, was the team's 6th cup match of the season, with the team in the third round of the Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy, a cup featuring first teams outside of the top divisions within the BBFA counties.
A tense opening first 15 minutes saw both teams work their way into the match, and it was the visitors in red and black who had their best chance of opening the scoring in the 15th minute when they broke through the lines on their left flank, cutting the ball back 8-yards-out for one of their forwards to strike directly at Jake Holloway, with the keeper making a great save, and then followed that up by collecting the rebound effort - a double save that bailed the team out of conceding the first goal.
The tide of the game began to change after the 20th minute, with the team getting the ball down and actually playing, with the opening goal arriving during the 24th minute when a Holloway goal kick was collected by Leon Mannion, who took a few touches before lobbing a ball over the Wraysbury defence for Phil Newport to chase on to. Newport controlled the ball with his left after a powerful run, putting the ball at the six-yard-line before converting with his left foot to the keeper's far-left to give the team the lead.
Exactly 10 minutes later, the 34th minute saw our start turn from good to great when the lead was doubled. Wraysbury lost the ball in their defensive half, with Callum Parr-Jones collecting the ball and dribbling past two midfielders. Calmly finding Gino Izzo with his pass, Izzo scooped the ball onto the team's third midfielder, George Holloway, who ran behind enemy lines and floated a cross into the penalty area, with Mannion winning the battle against the defender and nodding his header down and into the far-right of the keeper to double our lead.
A goal each 10 minutes was on the order as we extended the lead to 3-0 during the 44th minute, and it was a first-time scorer who got in on the action. The move started from a quick throw by Colins Akemche, with Mannion knocking the ball back to Parr-Jones. CPJ shifted the ball on to his feet, rifled a shot against a Wraysbury defender, before the ball was collected by Holloway, who found Mannion at the edge of the box. Mannion unleashed a curling effort that the visiting shot stopper could only parry, with Stuart Stannard mopping up, poking the ball into the net - Stannard's first goal since joining the club in the summer!
The visitors weren't getting a look in at goal and it turned from bad to worse just after half-time during the 48th minute when the team sped away into a 4-0 lead. From a Wraysbury goal kick, a battle in midfield saw Chris Marshall perform a solid tackle, which allowed Izzo and Callum Fox-Spence to combine to play in Newport, who in turn played a high through ball for Parr-Jones to chase - CPJ collected the ball well, shifted onto his left, before thumping home an unstoppable effort to further extend the lead.
With the visitors having an off day, their day was compounded in the 70th minute when one of their attacking players received a straight red card after lashing out against Izzo in midfielder, hitting him in the back of the head, softly albeit, but given his marching orders for gross misconduct.
Wraysbury actually picked up their game in the final 20 minutes with a man down, though ran out of legs as we sealed a five star performance with a good team move that involved most the squad playing the ball from left to right, a move which ended in Walid Zaky passing into the penalty area, with the ball collected by Sam Paddon - who shuffled the ball on to his left and thundered a shot into the back of the net - sealing an impressive home win as the team progressed through to another round of a cup competition.
The win means we have advanced to the Last 16 of the Berks & Bucks FA Sunday Trophy, with the squad now winning all 10 competitive games this season on Sunday's, with the team next taking on Reading United away from home in the quarter-finals of the John Lusted Cup.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"After a shaky start in the cold at Calcot, we warmed up to the game and ended up putting in one of our stronger performances this season to ensure a near-perfect start to the campaign. We had an early scare with a chance that Jake (Holloway) saved well, but took command of the game and really, really frustrated them once they couldn't break our defensive line and create many chances. Our attacking players in particular have been in great form and continued their rich vein of form, and I just want to thank them and the rest of the team for putting in a disciplined, professional performance.
The occasion certainly got the better of the away team. They were increasingly frustrated with every decision the referee made and they only had a small squad to compete with, so had tired legs in the second-half, especially when they were shown red in the second-half, but they still battled to the end. Best of luck to them for the remainder of their TVSPL season! It just wasn't their day though and we applied ourselves expertly in another cup game to se us through to the latter stages of another county cup competition.
We're heading towards the Xmas break and are now on the road for a few weeks, giving our pitch a much needed rest, have the squad's Christmas Social coming up, and are entering the meat of some latter cup competitions, so it's only the start of what has been such a positive start to the season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jake Holloway
DEF: Colins Akemche
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Vincent van Lembergen (Stannard 71')
DEF: Robert Austin
DEF: Stuart Stannard (Paddon 46')
MID: George Holloway (Fox-Spence 46')
MID: Gino Izzo (Holloway 70')
MID: Callum Parr-Jones (Watkins 68')
FOR: Phil Newport
FOR: Leon Mannion (Zaky 70')
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Jon Watkins
SUB: Sam Paddon SUB: Callum Fox-Spence
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Newport goal, Mannion assist
Goal 2: Mannion goal, Holloway assist
Goal 3: Stannard Goal, Mannion assist
Goal 4: Parr-Jones Goal, Newport assist
Goal 5: Paddon Goal, Zaky 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!
