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 13th November 2022
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (10:30am KO)
Opposition: Burghfield FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Off Highview, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-0 Burghfield FC 'B'
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Burghfield FC 'B' was the team's 9th competitive outing of the 2022/23 season, with the team at home down at Calcot Recreation Ground in RDSL Division 3. This was the club's second encounter against Caversham AFC this season, winning the reverse league fixture 9-0 away from home at Burghfield CSA.
The first-half was stacked with opportunities and the team's goals on the morning, with the game only taking 6 minutes to find its first goal. After good work by Alvin Mugabe down the left to win a throw, Josh Watkins delivered the set-piece that was headed back toward the central defender, who then set and cross into the middle of the goal for Brad Matthews to volley the ball home high into the net to give the team a lead - with this being Matthews's second goal of the season!
Forward, Leon Mannion, saw two one-on-one attempts saved by the Burghfield keeper, whilst the Number 9 saw a goal ruled out for offside when the forward was level with a trailing Burghfield defender, with these chances preceding the second goal of the game.
Starting with a throw down the right, Phil Newport picked up the ball and checked inside towards the middle of the park from the right, finding Mugabe with a pass, who then shot low towards the keeper without much venom, though to our surprise the goalkeeper let the ball slide underneath his body to double the team's lead after just 15 minutes on the clock.
Just shy of the half hour mark the team provided a good counter attack which saw Matthews eventually win a corner kick for his good running. Cosmin Huhulea's corner was whipped into the box and won in the air by Phil Newport - with the header being picked out of the air expertly by Josh Watkins, whose second touch was to bury the ball into the back of the net, to take the game to 3-0!
The remainder of the first-half saw Jamie Halsall called into making an outstretched out to tip a looping ball over his bar, whilst Mannion had a header cleared off the line at the other end, as well as Tom Williams and Jon Watkins drawing saves from Burghfield's keeper from a corner kick. Burghfield would then end the first-half on the counter and in a one-on-one position put the ball past Halsall's goal and wide, a glaring chance for the visiting team in blue to get a goal back.
The second-half added no goals, but had a chance of nearly moments, with Mannion striking the right post, whilst Sam Bolwell drew a top diving save to the keeper's left with a firmly struck effort to our bottom-right corner. 70 minutes on the referee's whistle then saw Halsall make a save for the cameras to the top right as Burghfield took advantage of a sloopy pass in midfield, before the team's miss of the season (so far) left the team without a goal in the second-half...
The game was in added time when Walid Zaky received the ball on the right of midfield and glided into the penalty area. 6-yards-out from goal and the entire goal gaping, Zaky cut the ball back on the thick grass down at Calcot, with the ball evading Mannion and then falling out to an unsuspecting Owen jones from a couple of yards out to strike the post - the ball should have gone in, but was a completely freak moment that will be clipped on the team's social media channels for sure.
The result means that the team remain in 2nd place in RDSL Division 3 with 5 wins from 6 matches, behind table-toppers RE United. Next up for the team, we are back in league action hosting Southbank FC for the second time this season!
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Upon reflection and review of the tape on VEO, Sunday's game was a mixed bag on all accounts. Did we play our best? Absolutely not. Did we create a host of opportunities? Yes. Did the long grass impact the ball slowing down? Absolutely. Largely, we can do better in certain areas of the pitch, but going too hard on the team when we played a different formation just would be a step too far. We worked out kinks of a 3-5-2, mainly we just didn't have too much confidence in front of goal when our moments arose. Our goals though were well taken and we did deserve to win, perhaps by more, but sometimes you can have odd days at the office, which for me is a perfect learning and development tool to help the players focus on bigger games down the line.
What is undeniable though is that Burghfield were largely improved from the team's 9-0 defeat against us last time out and offered some genuine cause for concern at times, which meant we had to have our wits about us and not game any game for granted. They gave us an honest game and we were made to work very hard to secure the win.
I'd like to thank Burghfield for a good game and hopefully they can start picking up some points sooner rather than later in the division. Best of luck for the season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jamie Halsall
DEF: Graham High
DEF: Joe Sawyer (Zaky 46')
DEF: Josh Watkins
MID: Jon Watkins
MID: Bradley Matthews (Bolwell 46')
MID: Tom Williams (Huhulea 63')
MID: Cosmin Huhulea (Parr-Jones 46')
MID: Phil Newport
FOR: Phil Newport (Jones 46')
FOR: Leon Mannion
Substitutes:
SUB: Owen Jones
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Sam Bolwell
SUB: Callum Parr-Jones
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Matthews (goal), Josh Watkins (assist)
Goal 2: Mugabe (goal), Newport (assist)
Goal 3: Josh Watkins (goal), Newport (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!
