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. Barton Rovers
Date: Sunday 20th March 2022
Competition: Reading & District Sunday League, Division 4 (Game 13)
Opposition: Barton Rovers Reserves
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 4-0 Barton Rovers
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against Barton Rovers was the team's 13th league outing in RDSL Division 4 (15th overall due to a trio of walkover wins) and the first time we have taken on Barton this season in the division - and for a little bit of club trivia, are the only club that we have now faced on both Saturday & Sunday football in competitive action, with the team previously beating the same side 8-1 at home in the first round of the Berks & Bucks FA Junior Trophy on Saturday 28th November 2019.
With the team back in green for our encounter against Barton, it didn't take long for us to take the lead and an opening goal of the morning arrived in the 10th minute when a Shane Cooper-Clark free-kick was rifled at goal, with the goalkeeper spilling the ball, allowing central defender, Callum Gibbons, to sweep home the ball from close range to give the team a deserved early lead.
The team had a host of chances to extend our lead, with Cooper-Clark raising highest from a Fox-Spence corner, with the headed effort going narrowly wide, whilst Phil Newport provided several crosses that threatened, but were ultimately collected or saved by the Barton keeper. Jamie Carter also shot twice from the left wing, but was unable to test the opposing keeper. Barton meanwhile didn't register a shot on target in the first-half, and were reduced to two free-kicks that were blazed high and wide over Sam Bolwell's goal.
In between this action, the team were gifted the chance to double our lead on the 20th minute from the penalty spot when Newport collected a loose ball that Barton couldn't control, charging towards goal before being eventually dragged down. Stepping up himself, Newport fired and and hard to the keeper's right to double the lead.
The game went in to the break at 2-0, and in truth was a morning where we largely didn't have our shooting boots on - and that theme extended into the second-half, with Dany Setiawan and Newport both drawing saves from the Barton keeper when freed one-on-one across the course of the half, whilst Cooper-Clark couldn't keep his shot down after some nice interplay around the edge of the box. Barton had one shot one target, one was an out-stretched foot that caused a shot to trickle to Robert Austin's near-post, before a second shot followed that was rushed over the bar after Austin parried a set-piece delivery back into the path of the attacker, only for Barton to shoot over the bar.
The killer 3rd goal arrived in the 60th minute and came from a long throw by Cooper-Clark that fell invitingly for Walid Zaky to shoot at the keeper, with the second attempt seeing Zaky stab the ball home into an unguarded net to the delight of the entire squad.
The scoring for the day was completed in the 78th minute when a Chris Marshall free-kick was guided straight as an arrow into the penalty area, with Scott Terry nodding the ball on and into the far corner, with Terry managing his 7th goal of the season in the process.
The win keeps the team in second place in the RDSL Division 4 table, with 43 points from 16 games played, with the team boasting the best defending record having only conceded 9 goals. Next up for the team on Sunday's, we are away from home to Reading United in Division 4 on Sunday 10th April 2022.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Sunday was an interesting day from a managerial stance. We weren't completely at the races, with the squad quiet on the day, whilst we didn't finish the majority of our chances, though we played with the ball very well and barely allowed Barton a sniff at goal all morning to keep another clean sheet in the division.
I've been very impressed with our level of concentration from a defensive point of view this season on Sunday's, we have the best defensive record of any team in the Reading & District Sunday League having only conceded 9 goals in 16 games, which means that even on an interesting morning at the other end, we have been stable to allow the team to get across the line on days that we make harder for ourselves. Aside from these little points, I can't argue too much about the application of the team, we scored some good goals and I was able to give everyone at least 45 minutes of football, which was needed after a long 140-minute game the day before.
Next up is Reading United at home, and with a win we keep ourselves in the race for the trophy, and we'll give it our all as we look to end our season strong!
I wish Barton nothing but the best for the remainder of the season, I have a lot of time for Glenn Lewis and his team, and hopefully we can get our reverse fixture on at your ground towards the end of the season."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Sam Bolwell (Jones 80')
DEF: Jon Watkins (Sawyer 46')
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Robert Austin
MID: Phil Newport (Setiawan 46')
MID: Callum Fox-Spence (Zaky 46')
MID: Gino Izzo (Terry 46')
MID: Shane Cooper-Clark (Izzo 65')
MID: Jamie Carter (Watkins 65')
FOR: Owen Jones (Newport 70')
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Dany Setiawan
SUB: Scott Terry
SUB: Joe Sawyer
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Gibbons (goal), Cooper-Clark (assist)
Goal 2: Newport (goal), no assist
Goal 3: Zaky (goal), Cooper-Clark (assist)
Goal 4: Terry (goal), Marshall (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
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