Hype Train FC will be playing across both Saturday and Sunday next season, with the team primarily competing in 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 fourth season as a club! All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. Southbank FC
Date: Sunday 2nd October 2022
Competition: RDSL Industrial Cup (10:30am KO)
Opposition: Southbank FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Off Highview, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-3 Southank FC (4-3 win on penalties)
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Southank FC was the team's third competitive outing of the 2022/23 season, with the team back down at Calcot Recreation Ground in the first round of the RDSL Industrial Cup. This was the second time the team had faced Southbank, the first being a 4-1 win against this morning's opposition in the Reading Sunday Social League in April 2021.
The team's first cup outing of the season didn't take long to get going as we were ahead within 6 minutes of the game. After Nikhil Garg was brought down just past the halfway line to win a free kick, Tom Williams provided an inch-perfect to Phil Newport, who produced a diving header that spun to the right of the goal and empathically past the Southbank goalkeeper.
A strong first-half for the team saw many chances before we were able to double our lead and started when Jamie Halsall kicked long with the ball in his hands, with the ball won in the air by Phil Newport who flicked on past the opposing defensive line. Running on to meet the ball was Alvin Mugabe, who collected calmly in the penalty area before calmly finishing past their goalkeeper to extend our lead.
Then at the 35-minute mark the game changed. The first action saw Owen Bowbrick played through on goal, though he was prematurely flagged by the opposing team as the winger was onside when fed a through ball down the right flank - this led to Bowbrick putting the ball in the net before being called back, whilst he also had Mugabe open for a tap-in. Next up, we had Mugabe dragged down in the penalty area a minute later, which the referee waived off, and seconds later at the other end of the pitch on the counter, after Liam Bowbrick cleared the ball off the line superbly twice, only to get to his feet and have a Southbank player collide with him, leading to a spot kick for the visitors. The penalty was low and to Halsall's right as Southbank pulled a goal back to take the game to 2-1 at half-time.
With the team only having 2 goals to show for our efforts in a great first-half, the game changed again in the 61st minute when Southbank had a central free kick 20-yards-out from goal, with the resulting shot initially saved by Halsall, but the rebound was poked home to tie the game up at 2 goals each.
The comeback was complete for Southbank in the 65th minute when they launched a quick throw-in that caught the defensive line out of sorts before the ball found its way out to the left, with a Southbank player firing a half-volley into the roof of the net to take the lead.
The team had to graft hard with the time against us to get back into the game. Callum Parr-Jones drilled a ferocious shot from outside of the penalty, which led to the rebound somehow being put over the bar by Newport, which many on the touchline believed was it, that the game had passed us by. Fortunately though, in the first minute of added time, the team won a corner on the right side of the pitch. Committing all but one player forward, Owen Bowbrick's deep corner to the back-post was perfect for Williams to bury the header from close range to draw the game up once more, meaning for the very first time a penalty shootout beckoned.
Southbank scored first, with Newport hitting the bar with his attempt. Chasing the game, Southbank buckled under pressure as they put their second spot kick over the bar, before Tom Williams, Josh Watkins, and Owen Bowbrick all converted - which put the team one spot kick away from winning as Southbank missed their 3rd penalty as an effort down the middle was tipped over by Halsall. Callum Parr-Jones was gifted the chance to win the game for the train, and it was an opportunity he didn't miss as he calmly tucked home to the keeper's left to send the team through to the Last 16 of the competition, sealing a first-ever shootout victory for the team!
The result means that we start our season with a trio of victories and advance through to the Last 16 of the RDSL Industrial Cup, whilst we have won both games to start our RDSL Division 3 campaign. Next up for the team, we play away to Woodley Saints Lowfield in league competition on 9th October 2022.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Another day, another piece of club history as we competed in our first penalty shootout since forming in 2019 and in total have been involved in 36 matches in cup competition - so it's a day I will personally never forget, with penalty kicks one of the last hurdles for a new club to cross off their bucket list.
As for the game itself, I'm not sure it should have even got to penalties. The team will be sick of hearing it, but we could of, and should have been, up at half-time by 3 or 4 clear goals. We were excellent and really took the game to Southbank - we overheard them at half-time thankful the score wasn't more in our advantage and they were given such a huge lifeline due to the penalty - though minutes before we had an offside call and a strong case for a penalty turned down, to completely change the game.
In the second-half, Southbank had a strong period and capitalised on the team switching off a couple of times as they took the lead - it's not something we have had to manage or deal with so far this season, so was a big learning curve to get over as we looked to claw back into a game we had the bulk of the chances in. Thankfully, the team showed a stronger character to get back into the game at the death, and showed even better composure in the penalty shootout to get through what was ultimately a tricky hurdle. What's great for us though is that we take away a few key lessons from today to build ourselves up better for future games, so it's nothing but positives today and we can't wait to test ourselves in the next round of the cup.
Thank you to Buddha, Alan, and the team at Southbank, they played an honest game and did well to potentially cause us an upset on home soil - we're looking forward to our games in the league this season in a very tight Division 3!"
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Management Team: Robert Austin & Jon Watkins
Starting 11:
GK: Jamie Halsall
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Liam Bowbrick
DEF: Josh Watkins
DEF: Nikhil Garg (Carter 73')
MID: Owen Bowbrick
MID: Cosmin Huhulea
MID: Tom Williams
MID: Callum Parr-Jones
MID: Alvin Mugabe (Matthews 70')
FOR: Phil Newport
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Robert Austin
SUB: Brad Matthews
SUB: Jamie Carter
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Newport (goal), Williams (assist)
Goal 2: Mugabe (goal), Newport (assist)
Goal 3: Williams (goal), O. Bowbrick (assist)
Penalty List:
Pen 1: Southbank (scored)
Pen 2: Phil Newport (missed, crossbar)
Pen 3: Southbank (missed, over the bar)
Pen 4: Tom Williams (scored)
Pen 5: Southbank (scored)
Pen 6: Josh Watkins (scored)
Pen 7: Southbank (missed, saved)
Pen 8: Owen Bowbrick (scored)
Pen 9: Southbank (scored)
Pen 10: Callum Parr-Jones (scored)
Final: Hype Train win 4-3 on penalties
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
Believe The Hype!
