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Writer's pictureRobert Austin

EBFL Presidents Cup Match Report (22/01/2022): Hype Train FC vs. Sandhurst Town U23


Hype Train FC will be playing across both Saturday and Sunday next season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League and the Reading & District Sunday League. You can follow all of the team's season coverage right here as we provide match reports and photo galleries from our third season as a club! All aboard.


Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. Sandhurst Town U23

Date: Saturday 22nd January 2022

Competition: EBFL Presidents Cup (Preliminary Round)

Opposition: Sandhurst Town U23

Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD

Final Score: Hype Train FC 8-0 Sandhurst Town U23

Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)


Match Report:

Our encounter against Sandhurst in the EBFL Presidents Cup was the team's first cup outing of our Saturday League season and was the first time since our very first competitive match back in 2019 that we faced Sandhurst - with the team winning 4-0 on that occasion thanks to a hat-trick from Leon Mannion and a strike from Chris Marshall.


Our latest home outing on Saturday's didn't take too long to get off the ground with the first goal of the game taking just 5 minutes to arrive, and came when a Sandhurst goal kick was headed back into danger by Callum Fox-Spence. The header fell into the path of Paul Hatfield, who controlled and fed in Phil Newport who took one touch off his chest and a second to calmly finish to give the boys in blue the perfect start.


After going close several time, with the Sandhurst keeper making a fine save from a diving header by Newport, the resulting corner saw the team extend our lead in the 24th minute. Fox-Spence's corner was headed by Jon Watkins 12-yards-out, with his header hitting the underside of the bar and off the back of the Sandhurst keeper's head on his way into the net.


Our third and final goal of the half was nearly identical to our first goal, with the Sandhurst keeper's long kick headed straight to Paul Hatfield by Robert Austin. Hatfield again set free Newport on goal, who took his time to settle himself before firing an initial shot at goal. Saved well at the first time of asking, Newport followed up by scrambling the ball home on the line for his second goal of the game.


The second-half saw Sandhurst slowly tire, with the 4th goal arriving in the 58th minute after Newport was fouled on the by-line when attempting to cut the ball back. Leon Mannion, on as a substitute near the end of the first-half, stepped up to drill home the penalty to further extend our lead.

It was 5 on the 71st minute after Hatfield swung in a deep corner to the back post, with Newport first on hand to half-volley home to complete hat-tricks in back-to-back games for the club in what were his 50th and 51st matches for the club.


To round off a good afternoon at the office, we were able to score 3 times within the space of 6 minutes and started in the 83rd minute when the team managed the half-dozen mark. Sandhurst randomly threw the ball to Newport from a throw, with the attacker cutting in field and picking out Watkins with a fine pass, with Watkins doing excellently to control the pass, before holding off his defender and calmly putting his shot in the bottom-right of the keeper's goal.


A couple of minutes later during the 85th minute, another goal quickly arrived when we were playing down the right flank. The ball eventually found itself to George Fradgley, who delivered a cross that was flicked on by Mannion into the path of Hatfield. The winger controlled the ball well, turned his opponent well, before placing the ball between the keeper's legs.


The 8th and final arrived in the 87th minute when Sandhurst gave away the ball near the halfway line, with Gino Izzo intercepting a loose pass. Izzo played in Hatfield down the left wing, who took one touch before providing a low cross to Mannion, who hit a first-time effort that also went through the keeper's legs to complete the rout.


The win means that the team have advanced to the Last 16 of the EBFL Presidents Cup, with the team returning to cup action next weekend too as we host Iver Heath FC in the second round of the EBFL League Cup, a competition that features every club within the East Berkshire Football League.



Thoughts from Club Manager, Robert Austin:

"With a host of games to make up, of course we were first out the hat to play in a preliminary cup round in the Presidents Cup, and it was a good opportunity for the boys to stretch our legs with a limited squad as we're harbouring a few injuries and having a lot of players not available.


The first-half was competitive in stages, though we were fully deserving of our lead. We happened to be physically stronger than the younger Sandhurst side and imposed our will at times, which we carried out throughout the game.


The second-half was more one-side as the game opened up as the visitors tied, and we were able to take advantage of a few mistakes to score a host of goals near the end of the game. We also scored have added to our tally even further, though a few players (myself included) are rusty in front of goal, to give Sandhurst some pause for relief.


I have a lot of time for Jordan and his team at Sandhurst - they're a really solid and nice bunch of lads with the right attitude and we all wish them nothing but the best until we meet later on down the line!"


Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad

Manager: Vincent van Lembergen


Starting 11:

GK: Daniel Bone


DEF: Danny Basden (Knott 60')

DEF: Callum Gibbons (Basden 75')

DEF: Ryan Knott (Fradgley 46')

DEF: Robert Austin


MID: Jon Watkins

MID: Gino Izzo (Newport 46')

MID: Colins Akemche (Izzo 68')

MID: Callum Fox-Spence

MID: Paul Hatfield


FOR: Phil Newport (Mannion 37')


Substitutes:


SUB: Leon Mannion

SUB: George Fradgley

SUB: Vincent van Lembergen


Goals and Assists:


Goal 1: Newport goal, Hatfield assist

Goal 2: Own goal, Watkins assist

Goal 3: Newport goal, no assist assist

Goal 4: Mannion goal, Newport assist

Goal 5: Newport goal, Hatfield assist

Goal 6: Watkins goal, Newport assist

Goal 7: Hatfield goal, Mannion assist

Goal 8: Mannion goal, Hatfield 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.

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!



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