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 25th September 2022
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (10:30am KO)
Opposition: Burghfield FC
Location: Burghfield CSA, James Lane, Burghfield, Reading, RG30 6RS
Final Score: Burghfield FC 'B' 0-9 Hype Train FC
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Burghfield FC 'B' was the team's second competitive outing of the 2022/23 season, with the team away from home at Burghfield CSA in RDSL Division 3. This was the first time the team had taken on a Burghfield outfit in competitive action, in what was the club's 116th game as a club.
A one-sided game of 9 goals took 14 minute to get off the mark, beginning when a Burghfield goal kick was won by the team high up the field. Phil Newport was the one to win the ball in midfield, passing sideways to Owen Bowbrick, who on the left of midfield sliced open the opposition defensive line with a curling through ball that freed Callum Parr-Jones on goal. CPJ shot low and hard to the middle of the goal, with the shot looping in the air after initially being saved, but to the misfortune of the hosts the ball dipped back down to earth as the ball crashed into the net to give the train a 1-0 lead.
Less then 3 minutes after the opening goal, the team doubled our lead when Tom Williams collected a clearance 30-yards-out from goal, feeding the ball to midfield partner Cosmin Huhulea. The Romanian drove with the ball on the right side of the pitch, twisting and turning away from several Burghfield players until he was able to spin on the 6-yard-line to finish powerfully in the bottom-right corner.
After several near-misses in front of goal, the 28th minute would finally see Phil Newport get onto the scoresheet, with the goal coming from his hardest chance to take. Starting when the team played it across the defensive line, Jamie Carter would eventually receive the ball before driving into midfield from left back. Carter would pick Newport out with a pass, with the Number 9 doing well to turn after a few touches, before burying his effort with a pin-point finish to the far-left of the goalkeeper's goal, leaving the keeper rooted in the process.
The 44-minute mark would finish the team's scoring in the first-half, with the play starting when Huhulea dispossessed Burghfield in their own half, before Williams played Huhulea down the right, who glided into the penalty area, before cutting the ball back and squaring the ball to Owen Bowbrick to convert home in an empty net.
The second-half saw Alvin Mugabe brought into the game as a substitute, and it only took the player 8 minutes to score on his competitive debut for the club. The team's 5th goal arrived when again we won possession of the ball off of Burghfield on the right, with Liam Bowbrick this time bring strong in a tackle on his marking left back, which saw the 21-year-old take the ball down the right wing before cutting a cross into Mugabe's feet, with the winger taking one touch to set, before finishing calmly in the middle of the goal.
Several chances later, which included Callum Gibbons having a goal ruled out following a set-piece, the team adding the half-dozen effort in the 75th minute of the game, when a Huhulea free kick was rolled across the middle of the pitch, with Brad Matthews leaving the ball for Joe Sawyer to stride onto the ball and strike a curling effort from 30-yards-out, which caught the keeper completely off guard as the right back added a second goal of the season so far, and a second stunner from outside of the box.
A strong second-half saw goal 7 arrive in the 80th minute, and it was a combination of the last couple of goal scorers. After good work by Walid Zaky on the right flank, the Egyptian played the ball back to Sawyer, who provided a pass into the box to Mugabe, who again took one touch to set, before burying a finish to the goalkeeper's bottom-left post.
The action continued in the 85th minute, and for the second week running the team were in sheer ecstasy as Joe Sawyer's crusade to win the FIFA Puskas Award ramped up. A week removed after Sawyer's stunning strike against Farley Hill in our league opener, Sawyer's confidence saw him collect a clearance 40-yards-out from goal before taking a second touch to set the ball, before unleashing another world class strike, this time the effort dipping into the top-right of the goal - leaving Burghfield's diving goalkeeper helpless as the ball slammed into the net and the team crowded Sawyer in celebration - well done on another amazing finish Joebot!
What the team hadn't realised is that the cherry on the top of our cake for the morning hadn't arrived just yet, with the team's 9th and final goal sealing a hat-trick for Mugabe on his first competitive appearance. This time down the left side of the pitch, Nikhil Garg advanced up the pitch and played the ball through to Mugabe inside the penalty area, and for the third time of the match Mugabe proved that consistency in finishing is key as he picked out the bottom-left of the goal yet again to complete his second-half treble!
The result means that we start our season in RDSL Division 3 with wins in back-to-back leagues matches, which puts us at the top of the table with a +14 goal difference. Next up for the team, we host Southbank FC in the first round of the RDSL Industrial Cup at Calcot Recreation Ground on Sunday 2nd October 2022.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"An eventual morning for the team in a morning in which we could have genuinely scored anywhere between 15-20 goals. At times we were wasteful, at times genuinely excellent both on and off the pitch, we had a very strong morning against Burghfield and put the sword to them.
The challenge for the team on the day was what was going to happen if we had taken a big lead - would we trail off and drop to the level of the opponents, or would we stick to the game plan and play our own football. Last season we had problems doing just that, but today we largely stayed to our roots and tried to play it simply and as effective as possible, so I can't complain about the team's application, it's just a case of ironing out some creases as we look forward to some very competitive matches in the weeks ahead.
What was great to see was many members of the club coming to watch who were injured and the squad being on the same page as the club all morning - it's great to see the team making strides in creating a new understanding in what is a largely new set of players that is mixed in with a lot of experienced faces at the club.
I'd just like to provide a shout out to Burghfield on the day. Even though they only had 12 men, they fought until the end and played the game in the right spirits all morning. They've definitely been put in the wrong division this year and should have been put in Division 4, but here's hoping your team can come strong at some point and get a few results to kick start your season. I've nothing but time and respect for those involved in running Burghfield, and we wish them nothing but the best for the season ahead."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Management Team: Robert Austin, Owen Jones, Jon Watkins
Starting 11:
GK: Sam Bolwell
DEF: Joe Sawyer
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Josh Watkins
DEF: Jamie Carter (Garg 46')
MID: Liam Bowbrick (Huhulea 71')
MID: Cosmin Huhulea (Matthews 53')
MID: Tom Williams (O. Bowbrick 76')
MID: Callum Parr-Jones (Zaky 58')
MID: Owen Bowbrick (Mugabe 46')
FOR: Phil Newport (Parr-Jones 71')
Substitutes:
SUB: Walid Zaky
SUB: Alvin Mugabe
SUB: Brad Matthews
SUB: Nikhil Garg
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Parr-Jones (goal), O. Bowbrick (assist)
Goal 2: Huhulea (goal), Williams (assist)
Goal 3: Newport (goal), Carter (assist)
Goal 4: O. Bowbrick (goal), Huhulea (assist)
Goal 5: Mugabe (goal), L. Bowbrick (assist)
Goal 6: Sawyer (goal), Huhulea (assist)
Goal 7: Mugabe (goal), Sawyer (assist)
Goal 8: Sawyer (goal), no assist
Goal 9: Mugabe (goal), Garg (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
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