Welcome aboard the home of Hype Train Football Club. Here, you can read the match reports from the Train's outings across Saturday League action throughout the 2024/25 season, with the team competing in the East Berkshire Football League (EBFL). All aboard.
Match Report: Hype Train FC
Date: Saturday 1st March 2025
Competition: EBFL Division One (Game 12)
Opposition: HKRG United
Location: Cantley Park, Wokingham, Reading, RG40 5QG
Final Score: HKRG United 0-9 Hype Train FC
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The Train's encounter against HKRG United was our 22nd fixture of the 2024/25 season in the East Berkshire Football League, with the team competing in EBFL's Division One. This was our first-ever encounter against newcomers, HKRG, who were sat at second bottom in the division ahead of our game at a small pitch at Cantley Park in Wokingham.
The opening goal of the game took just over a minute to arrive and started when Mark Bush won a corner kick after HKRG blocked Bush's shot outside the penalty area. The resulting set-piece was half-cleared towards the edge of the box with Anwar Mmanga intercepting the ball. Mmanga waited for the right opening to pass the ball left towards Luke Follington, who swept the ball home with a first touch!
On the stroke of the 8th minute, a Hong Kong goal kick went high and to the middle of the pitch until a HKRG defender cleared the ball towards Jon Watkins in central defence, with Watkins playing a defence-splitting pass with his first touch freeing Follington, who poked the ball wide of an onrushing goalkeeper, to double the lead.
A 23-minute hat-trick was complete for Follington to start the first-half, beginning with a lengthy period of team possession that eventually found the feet of Connor Anderson in central midfield. With time to assess his options, Anderson switched the ball to the right of the pitch to Mmanga, who waited for the overlapping run from Bush before releasing the ball, with Bush then cutting the ball back with a low cross towards Follington at the back post, who then swept home to complete the treble.
A 4th goal in the first-half arrived in the 34th minute when Bush again won a corner on the right wing, with his corner kick this time delivered towards the six-yard-line, with Ashley Rockall converting the header home for his second goal of the season.
The game went into the half-time break with the score at 5-0, with a 5th goal arriving in the 37th minute. Interplay down the left between Anderson and Conall Gorman freed the ball to Nadim Gharabli, who prodded the ball forward to Geo Awuah, who on his debut was able to cut in and bury a low strike into the back of the net!
More goals arrived in the second-half, starting in the 54th minute when Watkins headed a long punt forward by the HKRG goalkeeper into the path of Chris Marshall, who then moved the ball to Manny Cudjoe at left back. Cudjoe drove forward and waited for the right time to free Gharabli's run forward. With Gharabli set through on goal, the Number 6 was able to set himself before calmly finishing into the bottom right corner for our 6th goal.
With 62 minutes on the clock the team countered Hong Kong, starting when Marshall played the ball to Bush on the right, who then played a through pass to Gharabli. With a few markers on him, Gharabli fed the ball to Follington, who forced a good save from the HKRG goalkeeper, though the ball fell to Awuah, who took him time to skip away from several challenges, before rifling his shot into the roof of the net, scoring a double on his debut!
Next, on the 66th minute Bush did well to keep the ball in play on the right, before finding Follington in the middle of the park. Follington then passed left to Lucas Coe, who then played the ball through the HKRG defensive line for Awuah to run onto - then with several players open on the far side of the pitch, Awuah passed the ball right with Anderson scoring a tap in for the 8th goal. HKRG protested the goal, which eventually stood, as Anderson was behind the ball when Awuah cut the ball into the penalty area.
Directly from the restart, our goalscoring on the day was complete in the 69th minute when Bush headed forward an Awuah pass, allowing Follington to win the foot race for the ball, before lashing the ball into the bottom corner at the edge of the box.
The Train would then end the game with 10-men after Bush was sent off for verbal misconduct, which led to two top saves from Callum Gibbons in goal to ensure the clean sheet for the team.
The win means we secured our 10th victory in EBFL Division One from 12 games, whilst we recorded our third clean sheet of 2025 (we only managed one in total in 2024), and back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since November 2022!
Next up, The Train host Caversham United in EBFL Division One at Waingels College on Saturday 8th March 2025.
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Sam Austin & Jon Watkins
Starting 11:
GK: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Anwar Mmanga (Gorman 70')
DEF: Jon Watkins (Gharabli 78')
DEF: Ashley Rockall (C)
DEF: Emmanuel Cudjoe
MID: Mark Bush
MID: Lucas Coe (Marshall 46')
MID: Nadim Gharabli (Coe 63')
MID: Connor Anderson (Saunders 82')
MID: Conall Gorman (Follington 46')
FOR: Luke Follington (Awuah 28')
Substitutes:
SUB: Chris Marshall
SUB: George Awuah
SUB: Mitchell Saunders
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Follington (goal), Mmanga (assist)
Goal 2: Follington (goal), Watkins (assist)
Goal 3: Follington (goal), Bush (assist)
Goal 4: Rockall (goal), Bush (assist)
Goal 5: Awuah (goal), Gharabli (assist)
Goal 6: Gharabli (goal), Cudjoe (assist) Goal 7: Awuah (goal), Follington (assist)
Goal 8: Anderson (goal), Awuah (assist)
Goal 9: Follington (goal), Bush (assist)
nt 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!
Comments