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 our third season as a club! All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. NFFT FC
Date: Sunday 16th January 2022
Competition: Reading & District Sunday League (Division 4)
Opposition: NFFT FC
Location: The Atrium Health Club, Scours Lane, Reading, RG30 6AY
Final Score: Hype Train FC 3-1 NFFT FC
Photographer: Owen Jones (@owen_jones)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against NFFT was the team's 6th outing in Reading & District Sunday League Division 4, with the team having won all 5 previous outings (including two walkover wins) - whilst this was the return fixture from the team's 5-0 away win against NFFT last October at South Reading Leisure Centre.
The team took the lead in the 12th minute of the game when we won possession back in midfield, with Callum Fox-Spence and Chris Marshall combining in the middle of the park before releasing Paul Hatfield to run in-field. Hatfield shifted the ball out left to Dany Setiawan, who then plays a one-two with Fox-Spence before delivering a left-footed cross that was deep and to the back post. Phil Newport was chasing the ball and beat the NFFT keeper to the ball in the air, scoring with a powerful header to give the team in orange the lead.
The lead was doubled in near-identical fashion in the 44th minute of the game when NFFT couldn't clear their own defensive half, with the ball falling out to Danny Basden, who hit a first-time deep cross from the right flank that looped forever in the air, with Newport watching the flight of the ball every step of the way on his way to powering home a second header, giving the team a 2-0 lead at half-time.
The second-half saw the game open up with chances on an increasingly wet and muddy pitch, though it took until the 81st minute for the third goal of the game, and it gave NFFT a lifeline in the match. After Sam Paddon wins possession of the ball back after a nice tackle, the ball slips across the pitch into NFFT's path, with their right winger racing through on goal before eventually taking a shot that is saved low and well by Jake Holloway, before the rebound falls out to the same player who pokes home the rebound and into the onion bag to set up a nervy final ten minutes.
Fortunately for the home side, the third goal did arrive in the 86th minute and started when Paul Hatfield won the ball back in the middle of the pitch, dancing around several NFFT players before feeding Newport with a delicious through ball, with Newport winning the race to the ball to complete his hat-trick with a first-time finish that was low into an unguarded net due to the opposing keeper rushing from his line.
The 3-1 victory means that we have a 100% record in Divsion 4 having 8 matches on the board, with the team sitting in 3rd place in the table. Next up for the Sunday team, we make the trip out to take on Reading United in a top of the table clash in Division 4 - a match that will go a long way in deciding the title's destination at the end of the season!
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"The game against NFFT was our first home game away from Calcot Recreation Ground due to the bad weather, with the game down at The Atrium on what must have been the muddiest pitch the team has played on to date.
Vince (van Lembergen) did a fantastic job running the day for the team in my absence and the team looked like they largely have the better of the game and put in a solid, committed shift. Those involved spoke highly of the morning and loved the battle in the wet and muddy terrain, and we were all happy with the win in difficult conditions. It's one win, with Phil Newport getting his first hat-trick, something he deserves given his efforts for the team, and another step forward for the team as we continue to build on our first Sunday League season.
Good luck for the rest of the season, NFFT, and see you later down the line!"
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Vincent van Lembergen
Starting 11:
GK: Jake Holloway
DEF: Danny Basden (van Lembergen 60')
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Sam Paddon
MID: Dany Setiawan (Zaky 46')
MID: Chris Marshall
MID: Callum Fox-Spence
MID: Phil Newport
MID: Paul Hatfield (Setiawan 64')
FOR: Owen Jones (Hatfield 72')
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Vincent van Lembergen
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Newport goal, Setiawan assist
Goal 2: Newport goal, Basden assist
Goal 3: Newport goal, Hatfield 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!
