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
Date: Sunday 9th October 2022
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (10:30am KO)
Opposition: Woodley Saints Lowfield
Location: East Park Farm, Charvil, RG10 9TY
Final Score: Woodley Saints Lowfield 3-2 Hype Train FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Woodley Lowfield was the team's fourth competitive outing of the 2022/23 season, with the team away from home at East Farm Park in RDSL Division 3. This was the club's second encounter against Lowfield in short succession, after taking on the team in pre-season, whilst our last competitive match against Woodley was in the RSSL Final in June 2021.
After an off start by the team, chasing a 2-0 lead, the squad rallied as the first-half progressed and scored their opening goal of the day during the 26th minute of the game. A throw on the right flank by Owen Bowbrick picked out Cosmin Huhulea, who turned away from a chasing defender before crossing for Eme Boateng to collect in the penalty area, before firing low past the opposition goalkeeper.
The team's equaliser after a good and sustained period of pressure came about in the 35th minute when the team played the ball out of trouble nicely at the back, with Huhulea again getting on the ball and picking out an excellent long ball over the top that beat the Lowfield defensive line. Phil Newport was onto the flighted ball in a flash, shrugged off the chasing central defender, before putting the ball through the goalkeeper's legs as we secured an equaliser.
As for the hosts, they scored from set-pieces in the 2nd, 9th, and 46th minute of the game, to secure a win on the day, with the team battling back down from 2-0 down to go in level at half-time. The team had a few chances in the second-half to get an equaliser, but a few nearly-moments passed us without reward in the second-half.
The result means that we have suffered our first loss as a team this season, and remain in 2nd place in RDSL Division 3 after a trio of games being played. Next up for the train, we face a double header of fixtures as we travel out to Southcote FC in the Maidenhead Norfolkian Cup on Saturday 15th October 2022, before hosting Caversham AFC in RDSL Division 3 on Sunday 16th October at Calcot Recreation Ground.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"I've had a lot of time to reflect on the game, and will solely be talking about my own team's efforts in the game as we started slowly, but did really well to recover from 2-0 down in difficult circumstances to go into half-time at 2-2. What we limited them too was long throws and a few corner kicks, and that was the only instances in which they found the net, so we have a clear way to improve in future matches in the division.
Where we did excel against our opposition was with the ball, I believe we had a better game with the ball and showed some good quality at times. It wasn't a game of many chances on our end, whilst Jamie in goal has had to make one or two terrific saves, but we can be proud of the way we competed on the day, even in defeat, and we'll come back stronger for sure. It was one of our better performances when compared to our opening games, when football was actually allowed to be played - the referee's lack of control over the game completely destroyed any chance of the game having a flow though.
Best of luck to Woodley moving forward throughout the season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Management: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jamie Halsall
DEF: Graham High (Austin 82')
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Callum Gibbons (Matthews 6', Zaky 84')
DEF: Nikhil Garg
MID: Owen Bowbrick
MID: Cosmin Huhulea
MID: Tom Williams
MID: Liam Bowbrick
MID: Emmanuel Boateng
FOR: Phil Newport
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Robert Austin
SUB: Brad Matthews
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Boateng (goal), Huhulea (assist)
Goal 2: Newport (goal), Huhulea (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
Believe The Hype!
