EBFL Division One Team Report (24/05/2025): FC Bracknell 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 24th May 2025

Competition: EBFL Division One (Game 20)

Opposition: FC Bracknell

Location: The Racecourse Ground, Ascot United FC, Winkfield Row, SL5 7LJ

Final Score: FC Bracknell 2-4 Hype Train FC

Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk

Match Report:

The Train's encounter against FC Bracknell was our 32nd 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 opening day league encounter last August, with the team winning 6-5 at Waingels College in a thriller, whilst it was our 4th overall encounter against Bracknell this season.

The opening goal of the game took just over 20 minutes to arrive, though prior to that the team had several clear-cut chances to opening the scoring, with Mitchell Saunders firing over the bar when the ball was cut back by Padraig Gorman after good work from the left. Then on the 20-minute mark a corner by the hosts Bracknell was clipped into the near-post and headed home by their target man, Number 14, to open the scoring.

A deserved equalising effort for The Train arrived during the 33rd minute, starting when a long kick out of Phil Newport's hands in goal was half cleared by Bracknell into the path of Saunders, who did excellent work to wriggle through several Bracknell players before finding Ciaran Carolan. Turning on to his left foot, Carolan's shot was well blocked by a Bracknell central defender, before Carolan fed the ball to Padraig Gorman on the left. Taking the ball out of the penalty area to open space, Gorman waited for the right moment before crossing to Saunders, who powered a header past the opposing goalkeeper for the leveller!

The second-half began with Bracknell retaking the lead within 90 seconds of the restart, when we were initially unable to clear our lines when the hosts drove forward down the right, which led to several shot attempts, including one attempt hitting the post, before the ball eventually fell to a Bracknell player to stab an effort low which deceived Newport in goal to take the game to 2-1.

Responding well, a second equalising effort arrived during the 50th minute, with the attack starting when Ashley Rockall did well to intercept the ball, before holding off his marker, with the ball eventually finding itself to Lucas Coe at right back. Coe picked out a superb forward pass that split Bracknell's defensive line open, with Carolan collecting the ball, then twisting and turning past his marker until he moved the ball onto his left, before calmly stroking the ball home across the floor for his second goal in as many games.

The turnaround was complete in the 56th minute, though this time the goal was as direct as can be. Newport took a set-piece near the halfway line that was deep towards the edge of the box. Not picked up, Carolan flicked the ball on, with Connor Anderson busting a gut to win the race, before calmly flicking the ball over the keeper and into the net, taking the game to 3-2 and in our favour for the first time in the game.

Route one was order of the day for our 4th and final goal too, which arrived in the 74th minute when Newport's goal kick was long and deep into Bracknell's defensive half, with a defensive player only able to flick the ball in to the path of Padraig Gorman, who took the ball down, skinned his marker before finishing well with his left foot to seal the win and the points.

Late on in the game, several more chances arrived for the team, most notably to Brad Burles-Nash, who had several close shots smothered away inside the six-yard-box, whilst Gorman and Anderson tested the goalkeeper. This means we have completed a league double over FC Bracknell, winning our first and last matches of the season against the hosts, which denied them finishing 2nd in the league. As for The Train, we finish in 4th place in EBFL Division One with 37 points, though had 9 points taken away from us due to teams folding.

Thank you to all our players, volunteers, and supporters, who have helped the club bounce back with a strong season in Saturday League, which saw us secure our 2nd trophy, winning the EBFL Presidents Cup in a 4-1 final success over Old Windsor FC Reserves on Friday 25th April 2025!

Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad

Manager: Robert Austin

Starting 11:

GK: Phil Newport

DEF: Manny Cudjoe

DEF: Mark Bush

DEF: Ashley Rockall (Gharabli 78')

DEF: Tom Dalgarno (Coe 22')

MID: Conall Gorman (Burles-Nash 75')

MID: Jenson Mansel

MID: Nadim Gharabli (Mmanga 75')

MID: Mitchell Saunders (C) (Anderson 40')

MID: Padraig Gorman

FOR: Ciaran Carolan (Zaky 84')

Substitutes:

Sub 1: Lucas Coe

Sub 2: Connor Anderson

Sub 3: Anwar Mmanga

Sub 4: Brad Burles-Nash

Sub 5: Walid Zaky

Goals & Assists:

Goal 1: Saunders (goal), P. Gorman (assist)

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

Goal 3: Anderson (goal), Carolan (assist)

Goal 4: P. Gorman (goal), Newport (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!