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 2023/24 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: Sunday 22nd October 2023
Competition: RDSL Division 3 (Game 6)
Opposition: Core FC
Location: East Park Farm, Charvil, Reading, RG10 9TY
Final Score: Core FC 3-4 Hype Train FC
Request Photos: contact@thehypetrain.co.uk
Match Report:
The train's encounter against Core was our 18th competitive match of the 2023/24 season, with the team travelling to East Park Farm in Reading & District Sunday League's Division 3. This was our 7th competitive outing against Core since both teams joined the RDSL at the same time in 2021, with the train having a 100% winning record so far against our most recent opposition.
The game opened with a lot of persistent pressure from Core, who overloaded players forward, creating a few chances which were saved by Robert Austin, primarily a low free-kick that went under the wall and was saved with an outstretched hand, as well as collecting a near-post header from the follow up corner that was close to veering just over the line. On the 12-minute mark at the other end of the pitch, the team also went close when Taren Langa forced the Core keeper into a low diving save when played through one-on-one, whilst we tested the handling of their keeper with decent crosses from Walid Zaky and Ben Heinau.
The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute in a sequence that started with Core playing short from a goal kick, which was ultimately intercepted by Langa when a ball down the channel was pinched. The loose ball from Langa's interception fell to Mitchell Saunders, who fed Langa back down the line before continuing a run into the penalty area, with Langa then crossing low for Saunders to sweep home a calm finish past the Core goalkeeper to open the goalscoring.
The team's lead didn't last too long, with the game tied during the 28th minute when Core had a lot of time in midfield to eventually free former Hype Train player, Noah Hodge, through on goal. The team protested that Hodge was offside, though the play continued, and Hodge slotted the ball into the roof of the net when faced with Austin in goal to level the game - a review of the goal had the Core player offside, but mistakes happen at this level of football.
Little did that matter, directly from kick-off the team restored our lead when the ball was played to Luke Follinton at right back, who supplied a perfectly weighted ball over the Core defensive line for Saunders to chase - Saunders won the foot race to reach the ball and with his first touch put his cross on a plate for Ciaran Carolan to head home from inside the six-yard-box!
The team were enduring a good spell and took advantage of Core throwing bodies forward in the 40th minute when excellent defending from Jamie Carter won possession of the ball on the left, before Carter gave the ball to Padraig Gorman to attack their isolated full back. Gorman had time to twist and turn his marker, before checking the ball outside of the penalty area on the left, and then striking a wonderful effort over the keeper and into the net for a 3-1 lead at half-time.
The second-half was a different story as the team took their foot off the gas slightly, which allowed Core back into the game. A lifeline to the hosts arrived in the 64th minute, starting with a throw-in down their right wing was returned to the thrower, before they squared off with Leo Pereira at full back. Core were able to get off an eventual cross on the byline, though Pereira'a outstretched his foot, and the ball has taken a touch and made the ball travel high into the air and over Austin in goal, allowing Core to scramble home a second. It was game on, though upon review a hand was used to helped palm the ball over the line, but it was hard for the referee to pick up this as he was on the wrong side of play to pick this up.
Minutes later our lead had evaporated and the tie level at 3-3 during the 68th minute when Core hit an initial cross into the penalty area, which somehow caught the wind and travelled, hitting the inside of the post, which was then punched away from an on-rushing Core attacker by Austin - though, the ball was retrieved by a Core player and played across the box allowing a midfielder to slot from a low first-time finish into the net to put the game on a knife edge.
Nearly moments weren't in short supply, with Saunders placing a header wide from a set-piece, whilst Nick Parfitt-Bowers was unlucky to not hit the target when rounding the goalkeeper at an acute angle before shooting, whilst Carolan forced a save from the Core goalkeeper - as the team pressed for that illusive winner.
Then in the 89th minute the game had one final swing, providing the winning moment for the train as we were rewarded for our efforts to step up another gear when needed. The move started when Kie Longmate broke up a Core long ball that was headed back towards Austin in goal, who then played Pereira down the left channel. Pereira found debutant, Jenson Mansel (who was a rock in the middle of the park), who quickly turned and picked out Parfitt-Bowers, who then played through Gorman who then glided forward with the ball before cutting the ball to Carolan inside the penalty area, who then turned two markers before placing a shot into the far-left corner on his left - cueing a mass team celebration as we restored our lead in the final minute!
The final minute wasn't without drama though as Core had a member of management dismissed for protesting an offside call right at the death of the game, which upon review on our VEO camera has the player marginally off as he was walking back from an offside position - with the hosts believing that they had one more moment in the tank to level the game, but it wasn't to be as the train rode a late storm to take the points on the road!
Next up for the train, the team have a brace of home league games on the horizon, first at home against Singh Sabha in EBFL's Premier Division on Saturday 28th October 2023, before we entertain AFC Pangbourne in RDSL Division 3 on Sunday 29th October 2023.
Thoughts from Club Secretary, Robert Austin:
"Our games against Core are also close affairs, and to their credit they've been steadily improving over time and think they'll achieve a really high finish in the division this season. Sunday's game was similar and the closest game yet between the two teams, with Core pushing right until the final whistle as we had to find the tough route to a win with a late goal.
The game was very open and Core do a job good at overloading the penalty area and occupying men forward at any opportunity to keep our defensive line stretched. This caused a few problems as they forced us into a few saves and a lot of set-piece opportunities, which we largely dealt with well throughout the game. What we had in our favour though was in transition, with so many players forward, was opportunities to break their lines and create overloads in the channels to stretch them, and largely we did well in one-on-one scenarios with our wingers. We pushed our luck and were figuring things out defensively, but in attack we purred and were very good and could have had more clear-cut goals on the day.
This was a battle though by a pair of teams that know one another very well, and though we have an overhauled Sunday team this season, the game felt familiar between the sets of management teams - and ultimately we were forced to win the game late as it was on a knife edge - and I'm thankful we showed the quality and team spirit late in the day in order to get the points in a challenging game.
Core are a top bunch of lads and players, though they were upset with a few calls made by our linesman. I'm relieved that the footage that we'll air on our YouTube channel clears up an offside that they were adamant on during the last attack of the game. We deal with teams flagging us offside on a regular basis whilst in our own half, and it isn't our mantra or ethos to be one of them teams.
We'd like to wish Core the best of luck for the season until the return leg at Calcot, and we're looking forward to another testing challenge later down the line."
Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad
Manager: Robert Austin
Starting 11:
GK: Robert Austin
DEF: Luke Follington (Heinau 44', Follington 77')
DEF: Callum Gibbons
DEF: Kie Longmate
DEF: Jamie Carter (Pereira 46')
MID: Taren Langa
MID: Jenson Mansel
MID: Ben Heinau (Parfitt-Bowers 38')
MID: Mitchell Saunders
MID: Walid Zaky (Gorman 26', Zaky 42', Gorman 66')
FOR: Ciaran Carolan
Substitutes:
SUB: Padraig Gorman
SUB: Nick Parfitt-Bowers
SUB: Leo Pereira
Goals & Assists:
Goal 1: Saunders (goal), Langa (assist)
Goal 2: Carolan (goal), Saunders (assist)
Goal 3: Gorman (goal), Carter (assist)
Goal 4: Carolan (goal), Gorman (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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