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. Farley Hill FC
Date: Sunday 18th September 2022
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (10:30am KO)
Opposition: Farley Hill FC
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Off Highview, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 6-1 Farley Hill FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Farley Hill was the team's first competitive outing of the 2022/23 season, with the team back down at Calcot Recreation Ground in RDSL Division 3. This was the first time the team had taken on Farley in any competition, in what was the club's 115th game.
The team's first goal of our 4th season didn't take long to arrive, with Tom Williams winning a header from an opposing goal kick. After a bit of pin ball in the middle of the park, Sam Bolwell steered the ball towards goal, with Callum Parr-Jones first on hand to collect the ball, before he shrugged off the advanced of the defender and into the penalty area, placing a shot to the far-right post of the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
A rapid start saw the team double our lead in the 14th, and it started when we won possession back from Farley, this time from a throw in. Josh Watkins collected the ball with his chest, quickly putting the ball over the opposition defensive line, which allow Phil Newport to run onto the ball before finishing off the opportunity with a left-footed finish to the back-left post to double the train's lead.
From good to great, a third goal arrived during the 23rd minute and arrived with the same combination, as Josh Watkins cleared the ball into an area behind the Farley defence, with Phil Newport bodying several opposition players, including the Farley goalkeeper, which saw Newport eventually rise to his feet after a collision and tap home into an unguarded net.
The team hadn't even hit the 30-minute mark of the game and we had a chance to add a 4th from the penalty spot, with Callum Parr-Jones brought down inside the area after beating a defender with some fine footwork. After the referee took some time to realist CPJ was in the penalty area, Newport stepped up to the mark to complete his hat-trick, burying the penalty low to the keeper's left to extend our lead to 4-0.
The team's chances of a clean sheet were taken away in unusual fashion when Farley's Number 7 collected the ball on the right wing over 40-yards-out from goal, providing an early deep cross that kept on floating in the area, with the ball lobbing Jamie Halsall in goal as the ball was inch-perfect in the top-right corner of the goal as it dipped in - giving some form of life to the visiting team.
The game went in 4-1 at half-time, though the action didn't stop in the second-half as the team went close on several occasions. First, Parr-Jones played through Graham High through on goal, with High finishing his chance with a composed finish past the opposing shot-stopper, though was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up. Parr-Jones also freed Owen Bowbrick through on goal, drawing a fine save from their goalkeeper, before Brad Matthews went inches away from scoring a worldie from range as his follow-up shot from outside the penalty area flashed just wide of the right post.
The icing on the cake of a good performance so far arrived in spectacular fashion in the 75th minute and started when Cosmin Huhulea won the ball back in midfield, before playing the ball to Jamie Carter on the left. Carter skipped into midfield, passing to Newport. Cutting infield, Newport played a pass across the pitch that eventually fell out to Joe Sawyer 35-yards-out from goal - and in unbelievable fashion, Sawyer smashed in a long range effort that blasted past the keeper, sending the entire team into pure elation! We may have just scored our Goal of the Season in our very first match - the strike was just incredible from a beloved player at the club!
The scoring wasn't done after Sawyer's heroics, with another top strike incoming as Cosmin Huhulea was fouled 25-yards-out from goal. Liam Bowbrick on his 21st birthday stepped up to the mark from the free-kick, which was placed on the team's left side, with Bowbrick shaping up and delivering a fine curling effort that span away from the helpless keeper - smashing home a top free-kick as the team ran away with a 5-goal advantage!
The last play of the match saw the club's captain for the day, Jamie Halsall, called into action as Farley fired in a shot from the edge of the penalty area, with Halsall called into a top diving save to the far-right of the goal, tipping the shot onto the bar as the team cleared the second ball.
The result means that we start our season in RDSL Division 3 with a big win and all 3 points, which puts the team in 3rd place in the table, behind RE United and Woodley Saints Lowfield, who both won big on the opening day. The team return to action Sunday as we travel out to take on Burghfield FC 'B' away from home in the league.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Our pre-season began the first week of July and have had a long summer of recruitment, a host of mixed 10 pre-season games in dry, arid pitches amidst several summer heatwaves, and have restructured the competitions we're competing in - so behind the scenes after an up and down pre-season the club and everyone involved as volunteers helping to run the club, we really needed to start strong. That was the message I delivered to the players, and we delivered on the day in a good performance at home against a team determined to start their own season strong.
A rapid start, which hasn't been the club's way at times, led to an excellent first-half. Farley had no idea what hit them as we bombarded their goal throughout the half, creating chance after chance, with the guys scoring some really well worked and determined goals - we proved to be hard to handle with and were clinical, it was great to see and be involved with.
The second-half was a more controlled and measured affair, which we largely controlled at a different tempo, with the best goals of the game arriving - the feel good factor of Joe's incredible wonder strike, and of Liam's free-kick on his competitive debut - was the cherry on top of a top opening day for the team. We came together as a squad, we did the basics right, enjoyed ourselves and played some good, incisive football - we're all pleased, by the start and hope to build on this in the weeks ahead!
Thank you to Farley Hill on a good game this morning and we're looking forward to the return fixture later on in the season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Management Team: Vince van Lembergen & Jon Watkins
Starting 11:
GK: Jamie Halsall
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Liam Bowbrick
DEF: Josh Watkins
DEF: Robert Austin (Carter 46')
MID: Owen Bowbrick (Bolwell 76')
MID: Sam Bolwell (Matthews 54')
MID: Tom Williams (Zaky 46')
MID: Callum Parr-Jones (Huhulea 54')
MID: Phil Newport
FOR: Graham High (Parr-Jones 70')
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Cosmin Huhulea
SUB: Brad Matthews
SUB: Jamie Carter
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Parr-Jones (goal), Bolwell (assist)
Goal 2: Newport (goal), Watkins (assist)
Goal 3: Newport (goal), Watkins (assist)
Goal 4: Newport (goal), Parr-Jones (assist)
Goal 5: Sawyer (goal), Newport (assist)
Goal 6: L. Bowbrick (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!
