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: Wraysbury FC vs. Hype Train FC
Date: Saturday 11th December 2021
Competition: Berks & Bucks FA Charles Twelftree Trophy (Last 32)
Opposition: Wraysbury FC
Location: Staines Town FC, Wheatsheaf Lane, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 2PD
Final Score: Wraysbury FC 2-0 Hype Train FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against Wraysbury FC was our second outing against the club this season in county cup competition, with our Sunday sides competing in the BBFA Sunday Trophy in November, with the train winning 5-0 at home. Our latest outing saw our Saturday sides meet for the first time too in the Charles Twelftree Trophy - a Berks & Bucks FA county cup competition featuring first teams from across the BBFA region.
The first-half saw the boys in orange and black largely defend, with Wraysbury occupying most of the possession, and forced Jack Roche in to two saves in the first-half. The first came during the 11th minute when a flighted cross to a Wraysbury central midfielder was goal bound but gathered by the diving Roche to his right. The second effort that came close was from the edge of the box, with the big man diving well to his right again to smother a low-drive to the bottom-right of the goal. Wraysbury registered more efforts and applies pressure, but saw a lot of chances break down or go wide of the mark.
The travelling train had a couple chances of our own. First came during a counter attack in the 7th minute when Graham High's cross from the right wing evaded all the defenders, with Chris Marshall picking up the ball and teeing it back for Robert Austin to strike first-time, with the left-footed effort dragged wide of the Wraysbury keeper's left-post. The second came when Phil Newport was able to drive through on goal and took on a shot outside the box, with the ball going a few feet wide of the mark. Later in the half, Matt Snell was brought down in the penalty area, but the referee correctly adjudged that there wasn't enough contact for a penalty.
With the teams going into half-time goalless, Wraysbury did break the deadlock in the 56th minute when their Number 2 broke the lines of our defensive line, kept the ball in on the byline, cutting back to their Number 9, Dean Papali, who took a touch to set and fired an unsavable shot that took a slight deflection into the top corner for the hosts.
Wraysbury's lead was doubled in the 80th minute when their right-winger was able to cut a low-cross in to the penalty area, that was tee'd to their Number 16 who took a touch and rifled the ball into the near-post and in.
The final 10 minutes saw the team in orange press and commit more bodies forward and had a couple of chances, first when Sam Bolwell's left-footed effort from range looped just over the bar from twenty-yards-out, before George Holloway was a fraction away from scoring when his header from an Austin free-kick on the left of the penalty area went just wide from a couple of yards out.
The loss means that we exit the Charles Twelftree Trophy at the Last 32 stage, with the squad finishing 2021 with a final league outing in the East Berkshire Football League's Premier Division on Saturday 18th December 2021.
Thoughts from Club Manager, Robert Austin:
"We had the opportunity to play against TVPL Premier Division outfit for the first time, in what was our first game inside a proper stadium, so it was an encounter that the boys really took in their stride. We knew it was going to be a tough ask, as our hosts are an established outfit and we're very much new on the block in comparison, but it was a day to be immensely proud of my players.
We defended very well in a low block for the entire game, limited and frustrated them in the first-half, only to be undone due to tiring legs against a strong Wraysbury side. We had some half chances of our own, and a couple of clear-cut chances that on another day go in the net, but on the whole it was a defensive performance that saw the team's solidity shine through.
Everyone come off the pitch knowing they had put everything in, so we have nothing to be regretful over - just so happens a good outfit ultimately got across the line against us in a competitive game at a good level of competition. For the squad it was a great experience in a new environment, something we will hopefully learn from in the future.
Thank you to Wraysbury for hosting us at a lovely ground, and for the hospitality after the game. It's much appreciated and good luck in the rest of the competition!"
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Sam Bolwell
Starting 11:
GK: Jack Roche
DEF: George Holloway
DEF: Joe Sawyer (Ali 72')
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Ryan Knott
DEF: Robert Austin
MID: Matt Snell (Bolwell 72')
MID: Chris Marshall
MID: Callum Fox-Spence
FOR: Graham High (Raisa 63')
FOR: Phil Newport
Substitutes:
SUB: Sam Bolwell
SUB: Ash Ali
SUB: Abz Raisa
SUB: Danny Basden
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
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