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 the start of our third season as a club! All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. Caversham United
Date: Sunday 12th September 2021
Competition: Mid-Season Friendly
Opposition: Caversham United
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-3 Caversham United
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
With both teams without a fixture in the Reading & District Sunday League, ourselves and fellow Reading Sunday Social League founders, Caversham United, organised a mid-season friendly, with the team competing at Calcot Recreation Ground for the first time since Saturday May 29th 2021.
With the team's last outing against Caversham finishing 5-3 to the train in the final regular season game of the RSSL, another thriller was on the cards after just 6 minutes with the game already tied at 1-1. The opening game, and our first home goal of the season, came after just 3 minutes when a George Fradgley throw was cleared to Callum Fox-Spence, with the Number 7 providing a first-time pass that split the Caversham defence, with Leon Mannion racing through and slotting past Callum Grover with a calm right-foot finish.
Little after taking the lead, we were pegged back when Caversham defender, Zac Dellow, was able to drive with the ball to the edge of the penalty area, firing low and somehow past Jake Holloway in the home goal.
The remainder of the first-half saw both teams get into a rhythm, with both teams teasing the goal from set-pieces, though Caversham dominated possession when we changed shape during the mid-point of the first-half.
Taking the lead for the second time in the game in the 59th minute, the move started when Fox-Spence carried the ball before placing a one-two with captain, Vincent van Lembergen. The Belgian collected the ball and hit a delightful cross-field ball to substitute, Dany Setiawan, with the Indonesian attacker beating his man, cutting back and hitting a left-footed cross that glanced off the head of Matt L'estrange on his debut for the club.
Not allowing the hosts to enjoy a lead, a host of changes from ourselves gave room for Caversham to catch the team cold just 3 minutes later in the 62nd minute when a through ball down the right channel from the Billy Goats caused confusion between Holloway and van Lembergen, with Alex Jenkins making the most of the situation when he prodded the ball home between goalkeeper and defender.
Refusing to settle for a draw, a moment of individual brilliance led to the team's third goal, when Scot Terry charged down a loose ball, beasted the Caversham Number 7 off the ball, gliding down the right wing, cutting back on their Number 7 again before drilling a pin-point cross on to the head of Owen Jones, with the headed effort rocketing off Jones and beating Grover in the opposing goal.
There was one final twist in the tale in the 79th minute when Caversham were awarded a penalty kick after Jamie Carter was alleged to have pushed Goats skipper, Jack Tapscott, in the back. After some lengthy debate and protest from the team, defensive midfielder McBriggs Antwi-Boasiako, who was a standout performer for the away side, slammed home the spot-kick into the bottom-right to peg the hosts back for a third time.
With a tense final ten minutes on the cards, there was an unfortunate injury to keeper, Jake Holloway, who suffered an off-the-ball calf injury and had to be replaced in goal by Hype Train owner, Robert Austin, a move which spurned key chances at each end of the pitch for both teams to snatch a winner.
Austin's long boot up the pitch was nodded down and into the feet of L'estrange, who fed through Mannion on goal, with the Number 9's smashed effort going narrowly wide of Grover's far-left post.
Then in the final minute of the game, Caversham were awarded a free-kick from 25-yards-out, with Dwayne Clarke on his debut for the opposing team, stood over the ball. Clarke's free-kick beat the ball and was headed to the right of the goal, but was saved by the out-stretched hands of Austin, meaning both teams had to settle for a draw in this bye-week encounter.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"A meeting of the founders of the RSSL was always going to an open, spicy affair and the match lived up to that billing and was a very good watch for any neutrals. The game was largely open for both teams, with both teams having their moments to sneak in a win, but in truth a draw was actually representative of the game.
Inward looking, the team's performance was slightly erratic as we used the game as a chance to test different formations and tactics, and at times we lacked some cohesion as we have a few new players and rotating faces on the side - though in truth I believe we managed the game well and gave a lot of minutes to the squad, which will be essential when we get back to league action against Core FC at home next Sunday.
We lost Jake Holloway for a number of months during the game, which is a huge loss for the team and we hope that Jake recovers quickly and can get back to playing for the squad quickly!
Thank you for Paul Gutteridge and the team at Caversham for the game - we can't wait for the next outing and the second edition of the RSSL."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Brian Mullally
Starting 11:
GK: Jake Holloway
DEF: George Fradgley
DEF: Robert Austin
DEF: Vincent van Lembergen (C)
DEF: Stuart Stannard
DEF: Jamie Carter
MID: Chris Marshall
MID: Callum Fox-Spence
MID: Scott Terry
FOR: Leon Mannion
FOR: Matt L'estrange
Substitutes:
SUB: Gino Izzo
SUB: Owen Jones
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Callum Gibbons
SUB: Dany Setiawan
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Mannion (goal), Fox-Spence (assist)
Goal 2: L'estrange (goal), Setiawan (assist)
Goal 3: Jones (goal), Terry (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!
