EBFL Division One Team Report (15/02/2025): Hype Train FC vs. Bracknell Aces

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 15th February 2025

Competition: EBFL Division One (Game 10)

Opposition: Bracknell Aces FC

Location: Waingels College, Woodley, Reading, RG5 4RF

Final Score: Hype Train FC 7-4 Bracknell Aces

Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk

Match Report:

The Train's encounter against Bracknell Aces was our 20th 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 Bracknell Aces, with the visiting team new to the EBFL for the 2024/25 season.

In a blistering start at Waingels, we would find ourselves 3-0 up inside 9 minutes. First, during the 3rd minute of the game, Bracknell's attempt to play out from the back led to Manny Cudjoe intercepting the ball, with his lone touch ghosting through the Aces defensive line and to the feet of Obeydah Abdulwahab - with the Forward beating the goalkeeper to the ball before tapping home into an empty net for the opening goal of the game.

Next with 6 minutes played, the team again regained possession after Bracknell tried to clear the ball long, with Jon Watkins and Nadim Gharabli winning the ball back before Leo Pereira played the ball down the line to Conall Gorman. Waiting for the run, Gorman then fed the ball down the left flank to Mitchell Saunders, who had time to run at the Aces defence before cutting in past a defender and then calmly finishing with a low strike to double the lead.

Then in the 9th minute of the game, a nearly-identical attack for our second goal saw Saunders shoot at goal, drawing a corner kick, which then led to a floated set-piece by Mark Bush into the penalty area, with Nadim Gharabli doing well to get away from his marker, who was holding onto the midfielder, to head home from the penalty spot, lofting the ball over the Aces goalkeeper to secure a rapid start for The Train.

The visiting side from Bracknell did strike the back of the net during the 21st minute, with a long ball somehow squirming through our defensive line, allowing a one-on-one that was calmly converted to take the game to 3-1.

It didn't take long for the team to restore our 3-goal advantage, when on the 24th minute we scored the 5th goal of the game. From the right back position, Cudjoe carried the ball half the length of the pitch before combining with Gorman on the left wing, with a one-two pass freeing Gorman to run into the penalty area, with a cross evading the goalkeeper all the way to the back post, with Bush on hand to convert the ball home with his left foot!

The first-half would end 5-1 when on the 34 minute mark Bush doubled his goal tally for the day when The Aces gave the ball away in their own defensive third, with Bush taking on their left central defender, running into the penalty area before finishing expertly with a placed low shot to the near post.

The second-half saw an immediate goal for the visitors when we were robbed of possession after some sloppy play, allowing Bracknell to convert from close range when the team were scrambling, putting some life into the game.

Settling down into the half, a 6th goal would restore the 4-goal lead in the 66th minute when Gorman again picked up the ball on the left, providing a cross-field pass that bypassed the Aces defensive line, with Cudjoe profiting when the Bracknell goalkeeper dropped the ball, with Cudjoe tapping home into an empty net, taking the game to 6-2.

Bracknell's 3rd goal was the best individual strike of the day, and was the result of a free-kick in the 87th minute - with a long pause in the game prior to this 9th goal of the day due to a bad injury to an Aces defender - with the set-piece awarded after a soft free-kick was awarded just to the right of the D. The resulting free kick was inch-perfect and nestled nicely into the far-left of Robert Austin's goal, with the game now at 6-3.

Unable to build on their lead, for the second time on the day, the visiting side were pegged back within a minute, this time when Luke Follington played a nice though ball to Cudjoe on the left, who ran to the byline before cutting the ball to Ilyas Abdulwahab - the midfielder on the left of the penalty area then took matters into his own hands by driving with the ball nearly to the byline before firing in and the near-post for the 7th, and the team's final goal of the day.

The 11th and final goal on the day was for the visiting outfit in the 101st minute, when Bracknell possession down the left flank resulted in a deep cross towards their back post, with an Aces runner catching us cold and heading the ball downwards and into the net.

The game would end in the 108th minute with the team down to 10-men when Ilyas Abdulwahab was shown a straight red card after a kick out at an Aces player after being fouled, though there was only two minutes left on the clock, and we managed the remaining minutes well to secure the points in EBFL Division One.

Next up, The Train travel to Caversham United in the EBFL Division One on Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad

Manager: Robert Austin

Starting 11:

GK: Robert Austin

DEF: Emmanuel Cudjoe (Zaky 88', Bush 90+18')

DEF: Jon Watkins

DEF: Josh Robertson

DEF: Leo Pereira (Cudjoe 90+3')

MID: Mark Bush (I. Abdulwahab 57')

MID: Taren Langa (Follington 67')

MID: Nadim Gharabli (Pereira 90+9)

MID: Mitchell Saunders (C) (Mmanga 35')

MID: Conall Gorman (Burles-Nash 67')

FOR: Obeydah Abdulwahab (Saunders 88')

Substitutes:

SUB: Brad Burles-Nash

SUB: Luke Follington

SUB: Anwar Mmanga

SUB: Ilyas Abdulwahab

SUB: Walid Zaky

Goals & Assists:

Goal 1: O. Abdulwahab (goal), Cudjoe (assist)

Goal 2: Saunders (goal), Gorman (assist)

Goal 3: Gharabli (goal), Bush (assist)

Goal 4: Bush (goal), Gorman (assist)

Goal 5: Bush (goal), no assist

Goal 6: Cudjoe (goal), Gorman (assist)

Goal 7: I. Abdulwahab (goal), Cudjoe (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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