EBFL Division 2 Match Report: Hype Train FC 2-2 Berks Elite FC

Hype Train Football Club competed in our fifth home match in East Berkshire Football League's Division 2, with the club taking on a Berks Elite FC. Read our match report as the Blue and Gold managed a point after going 2-0 down, meaning we remain unbeaten after seven games in the division. All Aboard.

EBFL Match Report: Hype Train FC vs. Berks Elite FC

Back once again at Calcot Recreation Ground for the fifth time in league action this season, we hosted a Berks Elite side that have greatly improved as the league season has gone along.

The visiting team, full of young players that pinged the ball around the pitch well, started much the stronger side and played into the wind in the first-half, though our two Callum's, Fox-Spence and Parr-Jones combined well in the opening minutes and we should have taken the lead when a cut-back from Parr-Jones bobbled across the six-yard box and over the foot of Fox-Spence, with the team failing to go ahead in agonising circumstances.

Berks Elite did take the lead with a helping hand from our defence, with Martin King's back-pass towards Jack Roche was undercooked, with the trailing ball falling to their Number 9 to slot in an empty net, roughly 20 minutes in to the encounter.

The travelling side doubled their lead half an hour in to the contest when a counter attack saw their speedy Number 11 on the left-flank running clear and finishing well at the back post.

A disappointing first 45 minutes saw the team regroup during the half-time break and we came out fired up for the second half. Within ten minutes of play resuming, we found ourselves with a lifeline back into the match when a Rod Stevens free-kick was headed back in to the danger zone, with Robert Austin hitting a first-time half-volley which hit the foot of the post, rebounding ideally towards Chris Marshall who cleaned up from six-yards out for Marshall's second goal of the season.

With the team pressing for an equaliser, another set-piece worked to our advantage when Elliott Simson stabbed a Stevens corner right into the path of defensive midfielder, Aaron Holloway, with Holloway controlling the ball well before poking the ball in to the roof of the net to score his first goal for the club!

With the scores level, the team had come back down from 2-0 down in back-to-back league games and we had several chances to find the winner, the best falling to Marshall, who couldn't lob the keeper with his weaker left-foot, whilst Berks Elite saw an effort go agonisingly wide from distance, as both teams ultimately settled for a point in a well contested match between two groups of players that played a fair game.

The result leaves the team in 6th place in EBFL Division 2, with 15 points from 7 matches played (4 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses). The team will be returning to cup action over the next few weekends, with Premier Division outfit, AFC Cressex, next on the agenda this coming Saturday.

HTFC Man of the Match:

Chriis Marshall was on hand to score our first goal of the afternoon, slotting in to an empty net after we had hit the moments before. Marshall once again showed a high level of work rate all afternoon and performed well both as a central attacker and as a midfielder.

Thoughts from General Secretary, Robert Austin:

"Having had an opportunity to digest our fixture against Berks Elite this past Saturday, a point was a fair result given that it really was a game of two halves. As a unit, I believe we didn't get to grips with our opponents until we were a couple of goals down and had to really adapt and change our approach in the second-half.

Set-pieces worked in our favour today and we sensed that a young Elite outfit were starting to fade in the latter stages of the game, and we made the most of our chances and were clinical when equalising. We do have a lot to work on as a collective squad though, so we'll be looking to stop giving away needless goals.

It was also good to see Aaron Holloway get his first goal for the club, and for Chris to add another to his tally. Both worked tirelessly in midfield with Elliott to get us back into the contest. We also gave debuts to our first overseas players, Joan Clemente, and Jon Watkins too, so we have to take the positives.

The team showed a lot of heart and fight, with a point being made after the loss to Hanslope Reserves in the county cup last weekend, that we weren't going to roll over again.

Thank you for a good, clean game, Berks! We're already looking forward to the reverse fixture later this season."

Hype Train FC: Matchday Squad

Date: Saturday 25th January 2020

Opposition: Berks Elite FC

Starting 11:

GK: Jack Roche

DEF: Rod Stevens

DEF: Martin King

DEF: Alex O'Keeffe

DEF: Robert Austin

MID: Elliott Simson

MID: Aaron Holloway

MID: Chris Marshall

MID: Callum Parr-Jones (Clemente '70)

MID: Sam Paddon (Watkins '60)

FOR: Callum Fox-Spence

Substitutes:

SUB: Joan Clemente

SUB: Jon Watkins

Goals and Assists:

Goal 1: Marshall (goal), Austin (assist)

Goal 2: Holloway (goal), Simson (assist)

Want to know more about The Hype Train?

The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in 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.

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, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk

All aboard.