EBFL Division One Team Report (11/05/2025): Taplow United Swans vs. Hype Train FC

Welcome aboard the home of Hype Train Football Club. Here, you can read the match reports from the Train's outings across Saturday League action throughout the 2024/25 season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League (EBFL). All aboard.

Match Report: Hype Train FC

Date: Saturday 11th May 2025

Competition: EBFL Division One (Game 19)

Opposition: Taplow United Swans

Location: Waingels College, Woodley, Reading, RG5 4RF

Final Score: Taplow Swans 2-6 Hype Train FC

Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk

Match Report:

The Train's encounter against Taplow Swans was our 31st fixture of the 2024/25 season in the East Berkshire Football League, with the team competing in EBFL's Division One. This was the reversal of the league encounter last August, with the team winning 5-2 at Waingels College, whilst also beating Taplow 4-2 at home in the semi-finals of the Slough Town Junior Cup in February.

On a hot day in Slough in a game of no significance for either team, a pre-season vibe took effect on the game in what was a quiet and friendly game between the two sides, with the opening goal taking just 2 minutes to arrive. Taplow worked the ball from the right wing to an advancing midfielder in the middle of the park, who did well to wriggle into a position to play a forward pass to their Number 20, who inside the penalty area calmly finished into the bottom right corner. Upon reflection, the player was the last man and offside when the ball was played, so we were unfortunate that the goal was allowed to stand - and it's difficult to understand why the linesman hasn't flagged.

An equalising effort did arrive in the 21st minute of the game, starting when Manny Cudjoe won back possession of the ball on the far right of the pitch, before playing a one-two with Mitchell Saunders, which freed Cudjoe to play Conall Gorman down the right channel. When in the penalty area, Gorman cut the ball back towards the edge of the penalty area, allowing Cudjoe to sweep home a clinical finish to the back post - a lovely finish which saw both teams to in level at the half-time interval.

Stepping up the gears in the second-half, the turnaround was complete in the 48th minute when Leo Pereira provided a through ball towards Ciaran Carolan, who took his time when moving the ball inside the penalty area to the left of the goal, eventually finding room around the defender, and burying the ball into the far side of the goal for the lead.

Directly from the restart in the 50th minute, the team won back the ball at the edge of our own penalty area, with Jenson Mansel finding the feet of Carolan on the right wing, who then saw the overlapping run by Cudjoe and played and inch-perfect through pass, allowing Cudjoe to run onto the ball, and cutting the ball back for Nadim Gharabli to bundle home his 8th goal of the season to extend the lead to 3-1.

Taplow fired several warning shots at the team after our 3rd goal and we were made to pay for another long kick forward by their goalkeeper during the 57th minute that we failed to clear from the back, with our defensive line exposed as Taplow struck the underside of the bar with a looping shot, before the follow up shot was converted for the hosts.

The Train's 2-goal lead was restored during the 68th minute, beginning when a throw by Pereira inside the penalty area was poked away when Phil Newport was competing for the ball, though the half clearance only fell to Mitchell Saunders, who teed up Mark Bush at the edge of the area to cushion a lovely placed shot across the floor, rooting the Taplow shot stopper to his feet as the shot glided into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Within the last 5 minutes of the game, the cherry on top of the game arrived when Newport added his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season, first in the 85th minute as he ran onto a through ball from Bush in midfield, before bodying a defensive player, allowing Newport to glide inside the penalty area before cutting the ball back and rifling a shot into a bottom corner. Minutes later in the 86th minute the 6th and final goal arrived when Cudjoe once again found room to overlap on the right before cutting the ball back inside the penalty area for Newport to convert a second goal of the day - with our bare 11 players running away with the points after another strong second-half against Taplow for the 3rd time this campaign.

Next up, The Train end the 2024/25 season as we take on FC Bracknell in EBFL's Division One at Ascot United's Racecourse Ground on Saturday 24th May 2025. Entry to the game is free for everyone.

Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad

Manager: Robert Austin

Starting 11:

GK: Jamie Halsall

DEF: Manny Cudjoe

DEF: Mark Bush

DEF: Tom Dalgarno

DEF: Leo Pereira

MID: Conall Gorman

MID: Jenson Mansel

MID: Nadim Gharabli

MID: Mitchell Saunders

MID: Phil Newport

FOR: Ciaran Carolan

Goals & Assists:

Goal 1: Cudjoe (goal), Gorman (assist)

Goal 2: Carolan (goal), Pereira (assist)

Goal 3: Gharabli (goal), Cudjoe (assist)

Goal 4: Bush (goal), Saunders (assist)

Goal 5: Newport (goal), Bush (assist)

Goal 6: Newport (goal), Cudjoe (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

Believe The Hype!