Welcome aboard the home of Hype Train Football Club. Here, you can read the match reports from the Train's outing across Saturday & Sunday League action throughout the 2024/25 season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League (EBFL) and the Reading & District Sunday League (RDSL). All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC
Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
Competition: EBFL Division One
Opposition: Berks Elite FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Off Highview, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-3 Berks Elite
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The Train's encounter against Berks Elite was our 5th fixture of the 2024/25 season in the East Berkshire Football League, with the team competing in EBFL Division One. This was our second encounter against Berks Elite, with the team drawing 2-2 at home during our debut 2019/20 campaign in EBFL Division Two.
Berks Elite were unable to host the game due to their pitch at Woodford Park being called off due to a waterlogged pitch, but fortunately we had our grass pitch at Calcot available at short notice.
The game, which was delayed by 15 minutes due to the change of venue, didn't take long to get going as the first breakthrough only took 4 minutes. Berks Elite attempted to play out from the back with their left-sided defenders getting the ball pinched, allowing Jordi Ebanda to clip the ball down the channel for Luke Follington to chase. A central defender for Berks attempted to see the ball out for a goal kick but was too clever and lost possession on the byline, allowing Follington to poke the ball square and right to Ilyas Abdulwahab, who calmly converted his 3rd goal of the season to give The Train an early lead.
An equalising effort was only minutes behind and started when a Berks left winger was able to win a corner kick during the 6th minute when putting pressure on our backline, which allowed for their first corner to be flashed at the near post, with a flicked header evading our markers as the visiting team drew level in the game.
A back-and-forth game then preceded, with chances for both teams as they look to establish a lead. Phil Newport scuffed a free-kick wide, and Jenson Mansel beat the Berks backline, only to have his low cross diverted to the keeper, whilst for Berks they drew a top save from stand in goalkeeper, Robert Austin, who provided a strong left hand from a Berks shot from 8 yards at his near-post to keep the game level. This all led to a 3rd goal on the stroke of the 30th minute, starting when a Berks midfielder hit the crossbar from range as he tried his luck to catch Austin off of his line, with the rebound going to a Berks player who cut back for his teammate to strike at goal - Austin got a hand to the ball, with the deflection taking the ball through the legs of Joe Sawyer on the line as the visitors squirmed into a lead.
The first-half would see one final goal to draw the game level once again, with ourselves at Hype Train finding the leveller in the 41st minute. Defending a free-kick, Jordi Ebanda picked up the loose set-piece and played the ball to Lucas Coe, who then threaded a lovely pass forward to Mansel. The midfielder drove forward and found the right moment to release the ball left to Abdulwahab who only had his marker to beat, which he did when inside the penalty area he shifted the ball onto his left before finishing with the left boot with a low finish that went under the opposition goalkeeper.
The second-half was enough close battle with both teams having chances to go ahead, with Berks the first to strike during the 51st minute to restore their lead. From a long throw, the ball somehow bounced inside the penalty area and fell invitingly to an opposing player on the left, who was able to cut the ball back to a teammate to squeeze a shot through a pair of Hype Train players and into the near-post and the goal to take the game to 3-2.
Chasing an equaliser, the team were unlucky not to draw level when Ebanda hit a free-kick into the wall, with Abdulwahab unable to seal the hat-trick when his shot was dug into the ground and saved by the Berks goalkeeper. Ebanda would then hit the bar in the 73rd minute as the half wore on when he drove forward into the penalty area, before a minute later Mansel missed the ball by a matter of centimetres when a cross from the left only needed a touch to take it past the Berks goalkeeper. The visitors would then go on to miss two crucial one-on-one opportunities, which kept the game on a knife edge.
The next twist in the game arrived during the 80th minute, starting with Obeydah Abdulwahab winning a brilliant challenge high up the pitch against a Berks player who has fallen dramatically in hopes of winning a free-kick, which led to the ball falling to an opposing defender. Pressing their backline, Kishawn Dorman did great work to win the ball back with his closing down, and with the ball at his feet played a backwards pass to Ebanda, who took one touch to set himself, before rifling a rocket from the edge of the penalty area that bounced off both frames of the goal before rippling the back of the net - with the game now at 3-3!
With the game now level, a Berks player was sent-off for verbally abusing the referee after our 3rd goal, which meant we would have a man extra for the final minutes as we chased a winning goal. That winning moment would nearly arrive in the 89th minute when a corner by Newport was whipped towards the back post and headed up into the air after a pair of players battled for the ball, which then saw Joe Sawyer bravely jump and win the second header, which went in off the goalkeeper! The problem for us is that the referee blew for a foul early, claiming Sawyer had gone into the back of the player and headed the back of a Berks shoulder - when upon replay, not only did Sawyer only win the ball, and the Berks player was facing the other way towards Sawyer, but the defender has elbowed Sawyer in the face on his way down - so, it's just unfortunate that the goal wasn't allowed to stand and we had to settle for a point against a decent, young Berks outfit.
Next up for the Train, we shift focus to County Cup action as we host Old Windsor FC Reserves in the Berks & Bucks FA David Grainge Trophy at Waingels College on Saturday 28th September 2024!
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"An interesting and somewhat frustrating day at the office for us. A late change in venue made things somewhat erratic as we had to do a goal set up and there was a delayed kick-off, but ultimately it was good to get another league game played.
Right off the bat, Berks are a decent side, and I think they'll be in the conversation at the top end of the table this season as they have a lot of youth and quick legs across the team. It's just a shame that a football academy team have spectators cursing out the referee, and couldn't control the emotions of their players, which resulted in the game ending with a player less. It was a good battle though, and we'll be looking back at the decision at the end of the game to rule out what was a perfectly good header, that would have won the game.
We didn't have our best day on the pitch though and had a few players that had to drop on the day, so we felt a bit disjointed on the day particularly without our goalkeeper, but we made it work, had our fair share of the chances, and we feel like we could have, and should have, come away with the win. But that's football and we have to learn from this and move on quickly - but a point is a point, and we are still top and unbeaten, so there's still so much to be positive about in this early season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Robert Austin
DEF: Anwar Mmanga
DEF: Joe Sawyer (Coe 89')
DEF: Mitchell Saunders (O. Abdulwahab 46')
DEF: Nadim Gharabli
MID: Luke Follington (Akinbola 78')
MID: Jenson Mansel
MID: Lucas Coe (Dorman 74')
MID: Jordi Ebanda
MID: Ilyas Abdulwahab (Watkins 64')
FOR: Phil Newport
Substitutes:
SUB: Kishawn Dorman
SUB: Brad Burles-Nash SUB: Nifemi Akinbola
SUB: Jon Watkins SUB: Obeydah Abdulwahab
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: I. Abdulwahab (goal), Follington (assist)
Goal 2: I. Abdulwahab (goal), Mansel (assist)
Goal 3: Ebanda (goal), Dorman (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. During the 2021/22 season, we won our first-ever trophy, lifting the East Berkshire Football League's Presidents Cup!
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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