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 2023/24 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 14th October 2023
Competition: EBFL Premier Division (Game 8)
Opposition: Sandhurst Men Reds
Location: Sandhurst Memorial Park, Sandhurst, GU47 9BJ
Final Score: Sandhurst Men Reds 4-1 Hype Train FC
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Sandhurst was our 15th competitive match of the 2023/24 season, with the team involved in the East Berkshire Football League's Premier Division. This outing was our first outing against a Sandhurst team since our run in the EBFL Presidents during the 2021/22 season.
The game couldn't have started better for the hosts as they capitalised on a defensive error in the 2nd minute, starting when Robert Austin in goal intercepted a long ball. There was confusion over a clearance that bounced into the path of a Sandhurst attacker to lob a shot high and into and unguarded net to take an early lead.
Sandhurst doubled their lead during the 22nd minute when they countered down their right wing, connecting between a pair of players before a deep cross was won well by their player in the box, who headed into the top-left corner of the net - a very good header to extend their lead.
Despite conceding several chances and being below par, the team were able to create a few chances, first when Phil Newport fired slightly over the bar during the 35th minute, before a corner in the 38th minute led to Tom Dalgarno and Newport both heading the ball on target from a corner kick, before being scrambled away.
The second-half picked up for the train and we were able to get back into the game in the 60th minute when Chris Marshall won possession of the ball as a Sandhurst defender ran into trouble. Marshall fed the ball to Waqar Janjua, who played a pass to Newport, who turned away from his marker and when one-on-one, buried an effort into the far-left corner with his left to gift the team a way back into the game.
With a goal back, Mitchell Saunders was inches away from putting the team level twice, when shots from both the right and left went agonisingly short of the far-posts, whilst Jon Watkins fired at goal when in the penalty area drawing a save in the 63rd minute.
Chasing an equaliser, the game ran away from the team during the 67th minute when we conceded possession at the half-way line, with a pair of Sandhurst players winning the ball and providing a through ball to their Number 7, who at the edge of the box fired a first-time shot high into the roof of the net. A similar goal killed off the contest in the 70th minute when on the counter and one-on-one, Sandhurst buried a shot into the bottom-right corner to seal the points for the hosts.
Next up for the train, we were in action in Reading & District Sunday League's Division 3 against Southbank FC at Calcot Recreation Ground on Sunday 15th October 2023, which is the return leg of our league encounter, running out 4-2 winners on the opening day in the RDSL.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Saturday's outing at Sandhurst was lucky to even get going ahead, with ourselves just happy to have gotten a game of football going ahead. We were due to play at home, but a late fixture change sent us away. The referee cancelled less than an hour before kick-off, and both teams were struggling for numbers - both teams have done well to get squads out in a busy area with a live FA Cup tie on BBC just around the corner making traffic a nightmare too.
As for the game, an early mistake by myself has cost the team in the first-half and we struggled to lay a glove on Sandhurst. Despite a few half-chances and shots, Sandhurst countered the team well and carved out several chances, though in the second-half the game changed and we came out and gave them a competitive game. We brought the score back to 2-1 and were well in the game, and when the game was at 2-0 we have had the most stonewall penalty turned down for no reason by the makeshift referee. Then when the game became stretched as we chased an equaliser, we got caught on a few mistakes and were punished - though I was happy that our bare bones squad came out and really equipped ourselves better in the second-half.
Well done to Jordan and his Sandhurst team on the win, they were worthy of the win and have progressed well over the last few years. We're looking forward to the return leg at Calcot later this year."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Robert Austin
DEF: Anwar Mmanga
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: George Stanford (Pereira 70')
DEF: Leo Pereira (Patel 55')
MID: Jon Watkins
MID: Waqar Janjua
MID:Â Chris Marshall
MID: Mitchell Saunders
MID: Tom Dalgarno
FOR: Phil Newport
Substitutes:
SUB: Milan Patel
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Newport (goal), Janjua (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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