Hype Train FC played our 12th competitive game of the 2020/21 as we continue life in East Berkshire Football League's Division One, with the team travelling out to Old Windsor FC Reserves. Read the match report from our fixture at Old Windsor Recreation Ground. All aboard.
Match Report: Old Windsor FC Reserves vs. Hype Train FC:
Date: Saturday 8th May 2021
Competition: East Berkshire Football League, Division One (Game 7)
Opposition: Old Windsor FC Reserves
Location: Old Windsor Recreation Ground, Robin Willis Way, Windsor SL4 2PX
Final Score: Old Windsor FC Reserves 3-0 Hype Train FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our EBFL fixture against Windsor was our 7th outing of the season and our 5th away match of the season, having only played Hambleden and Stoke Poges at home so far.
Battling the stiff wind in the first-half, the opening 45 minutes of the game proved to be a defensive exercise for the team, with moments where we were able to counter-attack. Our first counter saw Phil Newport freed on the left-wing, though Callum Fox-Spence wasn't able to steer the cut-back on target.
Windsor's early pressure came from crosses, with Jack Roche forced into a quality double-save when their attackers won headers into the penalty area, with the follow-up save on the 20-minute mark the more impressive of the saves.
With the team defending well in large periods, the referee changed the course of the game in the 35th minute when he adjudged that Vincent van Lembergen had controlled the ball with his hand in the area. The spot-kick was contentious for the travelling team, with Windsor's left-winger Lewis Hewitt converting the spot-kick to the right of Roche, with the keeper getting a hand on the ball on its way into the net.
Conditions didn't ease for the team before half-time, with Rod Stevens flashing a free-kick at the Windsor keeper, with Fox-Spence also testing himself from range again, as the team went into the half-time a goal down.
The second-half saw the violent winds that knocked our VEO camera down, all but stop. Within twenty minutes of the second-half starting Windsor's Chris Atkins beat the offside trap and squared for Lewis Hewitt to double the hosts lead, before a third was added in the 70th minute when midfielder Lucas Benge slotted coolly from the edge of the box to treble Windsor's lead.
The game massively opened up, with chances flashing for substitutes Joe Sawyer and Jack Reddings, whilst Robert Austin cleared a far-post cross that would have seen a 4th for the home side. The game ended in this back-and-forth nature, with Windsor claiming a great victory at home, whilst we just didn't get going in what was our penultimate away game of the season.
Next up for the team, we have a quick turnaround as we take on New England FC in the fourth round of fixtures in the Reading Sunday Social League, with the team looking to put pressure on the top teams in the league.
Thoughts from Player Manager, Robert Austin:
"Today was a tale of two varying stories. For us, the game was a non-starter from the first whistle and we just didn't get out of first gear. Windsor have a lot of strong players and we just simply were not up for the challenge on the day. The conditions were challenging and the game was a difficult slog and we deserved to lose as our attacks all too often fall apart.
It was just wasn't our day though and it is a lesson we have to take on the chin. The best thing about a defeat is understanding how to learn from mistakes and that is what we'll attempt to do in the coming weeks before our next home game in the league against Iver Heath.
Fortunately we had a game the following morning against New England to rectify today so we don't carry this loss with us all week.
For the home team, they had ample chances and were deserving winners. Their left-winger that scored a brace is a very good player and their midfield worked very hard for the win. It was a great afternoon for them and since our debut in grassroots football I am struggling to think of many, if any, sides that have been as strong as the hosts, so all I can do is credit the job Windsor and their team have done in crafting a couple of capable, organised squads, and we are very much looking forward to the return home fixture at the end of June!"
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Starting 11:
GK: Jack Roche
DEF: Rod Stevens
DEF: Martin King
DEF: Vince van Lembergen
DEF: Robert Austin
MID: Colins Akemche (Bolwell 63')
MID: Callum Fox-Spence
MID: Chris Marshall
MID: Sam Bolwell (Reddings 46')
MID: Phil Newport
FOR: Sam Paddon (Sawyer 58')
Substitutes:
SUB: Jack Reddings
SUB: Joe Sawyer
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in 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.
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, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.
