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. Core FC
Date: Sunday 3rd October 2021
Competition: John Lusted Cup (Round 1)
Opposition: Core FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 8-3 Core FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against Core FC was the second time we have hosted our fellow RDSL Division 4 outfit at Calcot Recreation Ground in the last three weeks, with the team hosting Core in the first round of the John Lusted Cup, a cup competition for Division 3 & 4 teams in the Reading & District Sunday League.
Making a blistering start to the game, we scored within 4 minutes of the game when Stuart Stannard provided an exceptional through ball to Jamie Carter on the left-wing, with the winger beating the Core keeper to the ball and from an acute angle calmly finished into a near-empty goal.
The team's lead was extended by the 6th minute mark with Stannard heavily involved again, first by winning the ball back, and then by playing in Mannion who skipped past the challenge of several defenders, before gliding into the penalty area and dinking the ball with his right foot over the goalkeeper to double the team's lead.
Pegged back in the 9th minute of the game, an error at the back saw Jack Roche swing and miss the ball, allowing former HTFC player, Noah Hodge, to tap in to an empty net, reducing our early lead over the visitors.
A frantic start to the game continued in the 21st minute when skipper on the day, Chris Marshall, headed home an in-swinging corner from Stannard from a few yards out - Marshall's first goal of the season and Stannard's third assist in the game already.
Not allowing us to rest of our lead, Core pulled another goal back and this time it was directly from a corner, with Ben Hammerton's in-swinger looping over everyone and crashing in off the far-left post, putting the score at 3-2.
There was a 6th final goal in the first-half and it arrived in the 30th minute when a bit of pinball at the halfway line saw the ball bounce off Graham High's knee and in to the path of Mannion, who for the second time in the match, ran past the Core defenders and dinked the opposing keeper, restoring the team's lead yet again.
The second-half started quicker than the first-half, with Mannion completing his hat-trick in the 47th minute. Collecting a loose ball on the left, Stannard played a lovely one-two with Gino Izzo, with Izzo slicing the Core defence open with a ball for Stannard, who cut-back a pass for Mannion to convert from six-yards-out.
Core's only shot in the second-half arrived in the 59th minute and led to their third goal, when a throw in from the right was worked across their line, with the ball bobbling up to Hodge to strike a half-volley from twenty-yards-out, which looped and lobbed sub keeper, Robert Austin - a wonderful effort from Hodge to put the score at 5-3.
The latter stages of the game became the Owen Jones show, with the substitute making his mark in the final 10 minutes of the game. In the 82nd minute, Callum Fox-Spence was through on goal and provided a cut-back for Jones to convert from close range. Next, in the 86th minute an identical combination combined when Fox-Spence's flashed corner was poked home by Jones at the near-post, putting the game at 7-3.
The final goal, and the one most applauded, was the team's 8th and final goal, which started in the 89th minute down the right. A cross by Walid Zaky was mere centimetres away from connecting with Jones's head, with Izzo picking up the clearance in midfield. Izzo drove forward, put the ball through the legs of a core defender, and then whipped a low cross for Jones to finish from six-yards-out - with the team overjoyed by OJ's hat-trick!
The win means that the team continued our 100% record in competitive action after 4 matches, scoring 29 and conceding 5 goals, and means we advance through to the second round of the John Lusted Cup.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Sunday League football has been such a treat for the team this season so far. Each week we are building momentum and we're getting some impressive wins on the board early on both in the league and the cup. We're putting down a real marker of intent and it is all down to the players applications at training and at games.
The first-half today was a very open affair, goals everywhere you looked and no time to breathe. Both teams put on good attacking clinics and it was such a good watch from the sideline. We had to slow down the tempo in the second-half and controlled the game, largely, and then picked Core off with crosses, which they couldn't defend.
It was another good performance from top to bottom from the boys again today though. It's clear that we are enjoying our Sunday football and wins mike this are helping develop a good bond amongst the player. Scenes for the 8th goal on the touchline are just wonderful to see when we're all cheering on Owen to seal his hat-trick in the 89th minute of the game.
We're back to league action next week and are looking forward to meeting Core in our return league fixture later down the line!"
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jack Roche (Austin 46')
DEF: Danny Basden (Holloway 72')
DEF: George Holloway (Gibbons 46')
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Stuart Stannard
MID: Dany Setiawan (Jones 46')
MID: Matt Snell (Izzo 46')
MID: Callum Fox-Spence (Snell 69')
MID: James Carter (Zaky 59')
FOR: Graham High (Setiawan 59')
FOR: Leon Mannion (Fox-Spence 75')
Substitutes:
SUB: Gino Izzo
SUB: Owen Jones
SUB: Robert Austin
SUB: Callum Gibbons
SUB: Walid Zaky
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Carter goal, Stannard assist
Goal 2: Mannion goal, Stannard assist
Goal 3: Marshall Goal, Stannard assist
Goal 4: Mannion Goal, High assist
Goal 5: Mannion Goal, Stannard assist
Goal 6: Jones Goal, Fox-Spence assist
Goal 7: Jones Goal, Fox-Spence assist
Goal 8: Jones Goal, Izzo 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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