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. FC Woodley
Date: Sunday 7th November 2021
Competition: John Lusted Cup (Last 16)
Opposition: FC Woodley
Location: Calcot Recreation Ground, Calcot, Reading, RG31 4XD
Final Score: Hype Train FC 2-0 FC Woodley
Photographer: Sam Austin (@HypeTrainSam)
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
Our encounter against FC Woodley was the first time the team have played on consecutive days this season, with the team having beat Iver Heath 3-1 at home in the EBFL Premier Division the previous afternoon. The game against Woodley in the John Lusted Cup was at the Last 16 stage, and is a cup competition for Division 3 & 4 teams in the Reading & District Sunday League.
The first-half was the definition of a slow, gritty football game with a lot of loose touches for both teams, with the game taking some time to settle. The first chance for the team fell in the 11th minute from a free-kick that was curled in by Stuart Stannard, with Dany Setiawan having a powerful header saved well by the Woodley goalkeeper.
The next chance, and the biggest to date fell to Setiawan after some good build-up from back to front. After collecting the ball, Callum Gibbons fed Scott Terry with a pass, who turned away from his marker before putting a delicious through ball for Setiawan to chase. Barrelling down on goal, Setiawan's shot is matched by another good save by the Woodley shot-stopper, who denied a one-on-one opportunity.
Slowly building pressure further up the pitch, in the 30th minute from a throw on the left that was eventually cleared, Setiawan picked up the loose ball, drove into the box but was tackled well, with the ball falling out to Owen Jones who flashed a shot across the keeper's far-post.
The eventual, and much needed breakthrough finally arose in the 34th minute when a loose goal kick by Woodley was collected by Phil Newport in our attacking half, with Newport doing well to cut in, beat his man before fizzing a pass in to Scott Terry just outside the penalty area, with the Number 10 unleashing a left-footed strike that beat the goalkeeper to give the team a 1-0 lead going into half-time.
The second-half followed the same flow and pattern as the first-half in many respects, with an even contest between the sides that was often broken down and a bit sluggish on both sides, though we did begin to move the ball more freely - though it wasn't until the 50th minute when Graham High was taken down in the penalty area, without a penalty given, that we threatened again, with Chris Marshall scuffing a shot from a corner minutes later, with the team slightly frustrated about not getting a second goal.
Woodley's first shot on target in the 57th minute should have led to the equalising goal, with a deep free-kick to the back-post nodded back towards goal with their Number 14 connecting with a header from four-yards-out, though goalkeeper Robert Austin threw his body in front of the ball to make a point blank save to spare the team's blushes.
Woodley's second and only shot on target came minutes after their nearly-moment, with a free-kick twenty-yards-out whipped low and to the keeper's left, with Austin saving with his feet, before Stannard blocked the rebound attempt that was on target.
Approaching the 70th minute-mark, Woodley's keeper pulled off another fine save when a cross to the far-post was met by the head of Newport, with their custodian pulling of a fantastic diving save to his left to deny a second goal.
With the game winding down, we looked the likelier to score and that moment finally arrived to seal the victory in the 88th minute when some good work by Terry to flick the ball over a defender's head then led to a one-two with Jones, with Terry collecting the ball and calmly slotting the effort into the net - Terry's 6th goal of the season so far. After the goal, there was little time for the visitors to mount any sort of comeback and we dug in to preserve the clean sheet, and progression to our first quarter-final of the season.
The win means that the team is now unbeaten in 10 competitive games across both Saturday and Sunday this season, the first time as a club we have gone 10 games without defeat. In the next round of the John Lusted Cup, the team has been drawn away from home against Reading United in the quarter-final, with the tie to be played on Sunday 5th December 2021.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Two games, two wins this weekend and this train of momentum the team is picking up is something to be proud of right now across the entire squad. The team is developing nicely and we're all pulling together in the right direction - and today we needed that momentum in what was a difficult game to navigate for us.
From out internal perspective, today wasn't our greatest game, it was just a game to grind out, get over the line and move on from. I could sense a bit of frustration form the players that the game wasn't as expressive as they wanted it to be - unfortunately in football you have days that will be more slog than style, but we stuck to the task and were too strong on the day. We took a while to get into the game and the ball never quite settled - it was a traditional cup game in that sense where we really had to just be hard to beat, defend well and make the most of our quality in attack - and that was ultimately the difference that saw us across the line today.
All credit to our opponents this morning, they matched us stride for stride and put in a solid shift in what was a largely even contest. They were physical, strong and committed and made it very hard for us to break them down. Good luck for the rest of the season and here's hoping we met later down the line in league or cup action again.
We've been given the task of taking on Reading United away from home in the quarter-finals and in truth, I'm gutted that this game isn't in the final as we had a fantastic game against them in the County Cup a few weeks ago - but now is the perfect opportunity to take on one of the strongest teams left in the cup on their own patch - we're looking forward to the challenge."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Vince van Lembergen
Starting 11:
GK: Robert Austin
DEF: Danny Basden
DEF: Chris Marshall
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Stuart Stannard
MID: Dany Setiawan (High 46')
MID: Scott Terry (Izzo 46')
MID: Colins Akemche (Fox-Spence 46')
MID: Phil Newport (Jones 85')
MID: Paul Hatfield (Carter 57')
FOR: Owen Jones (Setiawan 68', Terry 75')
Substitutes:
SUB: Gino Izzo
SUB: Graham High
SUB: Callum Fox-Spence
SUB: Jamie Carter
SUB: Vince van Lembergen
SUB: Jon Watkins
Goals and Assists:
Goal 1: Terry goal, Newport assist
Goal 2: Terry goal, Jones 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
Believe The Hype!
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