Welcome aboard the home of Hype Train Football Club. Here, you can read the match reports from the Train's outing across Saturday & Sunday League action throughout the 2024/25 season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League (EBFL) and the Reading & District Sunday League (RDSL). All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC
Date: Saturday 5th October 2024
Competition: EBFL Division One
Opposition: Barton Rovers
Location: Theale Green School, Reading, RG7 5DA
Final Score: Barton Rovers 1-2 Hype Train FC
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The Train's encounter against Barton Rovers was our 7th fixture of the 2024/25 season in the East Berkshire Football League, with the team competing in EBFL Division One. This was our second encounter against a Barton Rovers outfit, with the squad winning 8-1 in our 2019/20 debut season in the junior County Cup.
Every first-half so far this season has been stacked full of goals, though our opening half against Barton was the first of the campaign that the game went in goalless at the break, though it wasn't for the lack of trying by either side. The hosts had two chances, first when we conceded possession in the 19th minute allowing a one-on-one, with the Barton Number 10 shooting low and drawing a save from Jamie Halsall, who did well to get down low to get a strong hand on the ball. Barton's Number 10 also had an opportunity at the edge of the box during the 28th minute with the ball squared back from the byline, though the effort was flashed wide.
Besides Barton's two attempts, the Train held most of the possession and probed much more regularly, forcing the young Barton goalkeeper into several top saves to keep the game scoreless. First, during the 8th minute a determined run by Shay Edwards saw a near-post shot parried away. Next, on the stroke of the 14th minute, Ilyas Abdulwahab collected a long throw by Tom Dalgarno on the left on the byline, cutting the ball back to Nadim Gharabli, who did well to find space when cutting in, though a heavy bobble stopped the midfielder scoring from 8-yards-out! Third, Dalgarno raced forward on the left in the 32nd minute and rifled a low shot at the goalkeeper, with the Barton shot-stopper doing well to save.
Perhaps the chance that should have opened the scoring in the first-half arrived slightly earlier in the 28th minute. Barton's left back had just been sin binned for verbal abuse against the referee after fouling Mitchell Saunders on the right wing, which led to Barton being a man short to defend the set-piece. The whipped cross by Coe was won by the outstretched right boot of Gharabli, with the shot saved by the outstretched hand of the Barton keeper, with Josh Robertson following up just a few yards from the line, and incredibly the Barton keeper has stretched his left hand out further to make an incredible save from point blank range to deny Robertson what looked like a clear goal.
The second-half did certainly start with a controversial moment that led to Barton winning a penalty kick during the 49th minute. A Barton long throw from their left into our penalty area bobbled down to a Barton player, who has moved the ball forward and then has just thrown himself down when in between both Coe and Chris Marshall, with the referee awarding a penalty despite neither player throwing out a leg or moving their bodies - a clear dive and a bought penalty - which was dispatched well to the roof of the net to open the scoring.
Chasing a goal, the team got back into the game via a set-piece of our own, which started with a good attack forward by the team in the 57th minute. The ball was up in the air several times and was headed by Luke Follington into the path of a Barton central defender, who could only put the ball in a central area. Taren Langa from the left flank cut in, won the ball and then played a lovely pass forward to Edwards, who first ran into the left corner, then spun his marker and glided into the penalty area, where the Number 9 was was then shoved in the back and went down to draw ourselves a spot kick. Edwards got back up to calmly stroke home the penalty, to score on his debut for the team!
With the tide turning in the game, 40-yards-out from goal during the 63rd minute, Gharabli did well to win the ball and drive forward in attack for the team, before he was hacked down for a free-kick. Stood over the deep set-piece was Coe, who delivered another brilliant cross into the penalty area that caught absolutely everybody off guard as it took one bounce before hitting the keeper's right post, before ricocheting across the goal and into the back of the net - which was Coe's first goal for the club!
Barton didn't provide any more moments in which they could have drawn level, despite some good pressure on the team, but largely they did well on two occasions to stop more goals in the game. First, during the 73rd minute, Saunders glided into the penalty area, chopping and changing his feet and the ball several times, and just when the opportunity to shoot opened up, had the ball poked away from his feet. Next, one more incredible save from the Barton keeper kept the game alive for the hosts during the 82nd minute, when Dalgarno freed Follington on the left wing with a pass forward, with the winger driving into the penalty area and unleashing a shot on his right which was high and dipping, though a third goal wasn't to be as the Barton goalkeeper has pulled off another terrific diving save to his left, to deny Follington a goal.
With the points in the bag, next up for the Train we shift focus to cup action as we host Eton Wick FC in the first round of the Slough Town Cup (Junior) at Waingels College on Saturday 12th October 2024!
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"We're six games into the season and we sit top of the table, so on the whole it's been a terrific start to the season by the team and we're happy to be in a position at the summit of Division One, though of course it means that we have every team upping their game against us, and that's what happened today with our visit to Barton.
The hosts took a thumping last week against Eton Wick and came into the game with a fighting spirit and fought for everything to rectify their result last week, so I can't argue that the game was a lot tighter than what it was advertised pre-game. The pitch was very bobbly, and the wind was difficult to manage for both teams, so there were a few details to manage on the day, which we did well.
From our perspective, the most important thing is that we got the points and moved on the from the game. At times it was frustrating, and we had been denied several times, but also, we weren't at our best and were a bit lethargic at times, and only really turned the lightbulb on in the game when we went behind. The penalty that was given against us seemed to light a positive fire under us and from that point when we drew level, we ran out worthy winners, though were made to work hard for the points and would just like to wish Barton the best for the rest of the season as they turned up and put in a good shift - particularly their goalkeeper who made two absolutely incredible saves.
We've got a break from league action now as we've got a lot of cup games upcoming, so it will be a good chance for us to shift focus and work on some of our own game ahead of some tough league games leading up to the Xmas break."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Jamie Halsall
DEF: Anwar Mmanga
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Josh Robertson
DEF: Tom Dalgarno
MID: Mitchell Saunders (Abdulwahab 81')
MID: Nadim Gharabli
MID: Lucas Coe (Akinbola 69')
MID: Callum Parr-Jones (Follington 46')
MID: Ilyas Abdulwahab (Langa 46')
FOR: Shay Edwards (Burles-Nash 72')
Substitutes:
SUB: Luke Follington
SUB: Brad Burles-Nash SUB: Nifemi Akinbola
SUB: Taren Langa
SUB: Robert Austin
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Edwards (goal), no assist
Goal 2: Coe (goal), Gharabli (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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