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: Sunday 15th October 2023
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (Game 5)
Opposition: Southbank FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 6-3 Southbank FC
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Southbank was our 16th competitive match of the 2023/24 season, with the team hosting Southbank in Reading & District Sunday League's Division 3 at Calcot Recreation Ground. This was the reverse league fixture from the team's opening day 4-2 away win at Burghfield's CSA in the division.
A back-and-forth game of 9 goals kickstarted in the 10th minute when the visiting Southbank took the lead when they worked their way through their left channel, with their left winger cutting the ball across the byline and to his opposite winger to stab home on the line the opening goal of the game.
Business picked up for the train in the 26th minute as we found second gear after we defended a long throw, with Nick Parfitt-Bowers collecting the ball on the left before playing in Padraig Gorman with a pass. Gorman skipped around the Southbank right back, charged down the left wing, before cutting in and delivering a top curling effort into the top-left of the net - nothing the outstretched goalkeeper could do to prevent the equaliser.
All tied up, the next breakthrough took place in the 42nd minute as Leo Pereira acted quickly when the team won a throw on the left, placing the ball with the throw over the Southbank defensive line, with Parfitt-Bowers on the run, collecting the ball and using sharp feet to dribble past several markers before finding the finish at an acute angle!
With the team in the lead, the 3rd goal arrived moments before half-time after referee, Paul Jenkins, was accidently hit in the head with the football, which led to a drop ball to the team in green as we then set the ball and moved it across the pitch well until Mitchell Saunders and Ciaran Carolan combined with a one-two, which saw Saunders peel off and run into the penalty area and finishing first-time with a placed effort following an inch-perfect through ball.
The second-half was cagey and filled with several poor offside calls right out of the dark arts playbook in Sunday League football to disrupt the team's flow, which allowed Southbank to strike twice in quick succession to draw level. First, a through ball to their left winger ghosted past our defensive line during the 68th minute, allowing an easy close-range finish, before the game was tied up in the 71st minute after Southbank won a penalty after Kie Longmate came flying in to make a block, but caught the man. The penalty was drilled low and hard by a central defender, as the game once again with on a knife-edge.
Looking for a response, we looked to correct a bad patch immediately, and we were given an opportunity with a free-kick during the 73rd minute after Southbank handballed on our left twenty-yards-out. Carolan fancied his chances and delivered one hell of a top finish as the free-kick was guided perfectly into the top-left of the net - again, nothing the goalkeeper, who saved brilliantly from Parfitt-Bowers and Luke Follington throughout the game - could do about the top finish from our Number 9.
With the lead restored again, the game ran away from the visiting Southbank during the 83rd minute when good interlinking play by the team on the right resulted in a blocked shot that was only cleared to Parfitt-Bowers, who turned well at the edge of the box to create space, before burying a low drive into the far-left corner for the Number 10's second goal of the game!
With the game in its dying embers, in the 93rd minute, Saunders robbed a flat-footed central defender of the ball on the right wing, glided towards goal before cutting back to Parfitt-Bowers to sweep home his hat-trick, the cherry on top of an entertaining game for both sides, as we returned to winning ways in Sunday League!
Next up for the train, the team have more league outings on the horizon, hosting Frontline FC in EBFL's Premier Division on Saturday 21st October 2023, before we travel out to Core FC in RDSL Division 3 on Sunday 22nd October at East Park Farm in Charvil.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"After some really tough matches and losses recently, it was great to get back to winning ways this Sunday. After 20 minutes of the game, the team began to click and we began settling into a good flow and scored a trio of really well-worked goals in the first-half to turnaround after a slow start. The second half became tense as the visitors pulled the game back to 3-3, which lit a fuse in the team after a series of horrendous offside calls led to this. The next series of goals were also top draw as we put the game to bed, in what was a good win for the team after a few shaky moments.
The win was ultimately deserved, though we were denied more goals in one-on-one scenarios with arguably the most ridiculous offside calls in Sunday League this season on 4 occasions. Twice, our players were in their own half, and the other two had players running past their markers - and each week we're told to check the camera and footage, so it was a great act of karma to put the sword against an opposition who choose to spend their time to get out of bed and act in an unsporting manner.
I'd like to thank my players on a good performance, with some top goals, as we kick-started our Sunday League season after a tough spell with a much-improved performance."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Callum Parr-Jones
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Kie Longmate
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Leo Pereira (Follington 64')
MID: Taren Langa (Zaky 84')
MID:Â Cory McManus
MID: Nick Parfitt-Bowers
MID: Mitchell Saunders
MID: Padraig Gorman (Pereira 84')
FOR: Ciaran Carolan
Substitutes:
SUB: Luke Follington
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Robert Austin
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Gorman (goal), Parfitt-Bowers (assist)
Goal 2: Parfitt-Bowers (goal), Pereira (assist)
Goal 3: Saunders (goal), Carolan (assist)
Goal 4: Carolan (goal), Gorman (assist)
Goal 5: Parfitt-Bowers (goal), no assist
Goal 6: Parfitt-Bowers (goal), Saunders (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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