2021/22 EBFL Presidents Cup Champions: Hype Train FC win their first-ever trophy!
Hype Train FC's first full season, the 2021/22 season, has seen the club compete across both Saturday and Sunday League, with the team managing to win a first-ever trophy - the EBFL Presidents Cup! Read and view more as the club made history on Saturday 7th May 2022 in a showcase match against AFC Cressex at Burnham FC's 1878 Stadium. All aboard.
Hype Train FC's 100th Match:
On Saturday 7th May 2022, Hype Train FC competed against AFC Cressex in the final of the East Berkshire Football League's Presidents Cup. The club was formed in June 2019 and since then we have been part of the the EBFL, with the team competing in its first proper campaign after two years of widespread and season-ending cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here at The Hype Train, we are the parent website of our football team, with Hype Train founders, Robert Austin and Sam Austin, running the club - we tend our image, our time, finances, and everything to the team, so posting anything about a true success is a dream come true for our small team of football enthusiasts. We started writing about fantasy football topics, and broader football and sports topics in 2015, and since have evolved year-on-year into a trophy winning grassroots football club.
Since the start of our journey in 2019, the club has continued to grow both on and off the field as we look to solidify long-term roots in the Reading area within grassroots football. We joined the East Berks League, and then formed the Reading Sunday Social League (RSSL) in 2021 alongside Caversham United, an 8-team competition, that was our maiden outing into the world of Sunday League football. This led to the team joining the ranks of the Reading & District Sunday Football League for the 2021/22 season, meaning we grew to having team's fielded on both days of the weekend.
The Presidents Cup final against Cressex is the club's second final, with the team competing against Woodley Saints in the 2021 RSSL Grand Final, whilst is the team's first cup final in straight knockout competition.
Our route to the Presidents Cup final...
Our route to the final in the Presidents Cup, which is a competition featuring bottom-half Premier Division and Division One teams within the EBFL, saw the team enter in the preliminary round, overcoming Sandhurst 8-0 at home, which set up a Round of 16 encounter away against unbeaten Division One leaders, Harts of Bracknell. The team battled from behind to take a 2-1 lead, which was extinguished with virtually the last kick of the game. Right from kick-off though, we went down the other end of the pitch, won a corner, with Chris Marshall scoring at the death to advance to the quarter-finals.
The Last 8 saw the team's toughest challenge as we went away again, this time to Premier Division outfit Frontline FC. The team took a 2-0 lead in at half-time, before Frontline levelled the game with a wonder-strike from range, before Callum Parr-Jones scored a worldie of his own in extra-time, to seal our progression to the semi's. Then in the semi-finals, a confident 5-2 victory over Old Windsor FC Reserves, our first ever win over an Old Windsor outfit, sealed our spot in the final at Burnham FC's 1878 Stadium.
Following on from that, we arranged a new kit with the team at Kitlocker to celebrate the Presidents Cup final, which was the club's 100th game as a club.
In the final itself, we were able to win the Presidents Cup after a 4-3 victory in normal time against AFC Cressex, with goals from George Holloway, Paul Hatfield, Phil Newport, and Leon Mannion, securing our club's first silverware.
Thoughts from Hype Train FC's Club Owner, Robert Austin:
"A lot of preparation and planning went into this game, from organising a new kit, having weeks of tactical training, meetings, media, promotion and everything else that comes into planning a cup final, and it's all of these intricate details that help the team get across the line. Every single player and member of the management staff were organised right from the get-go on the day and it made a big difference - we were assured on the pitch, we played a very good attacking game and really took the game to Cressex. Playing them a few weeks prior to the final was ideal for both teams, so we could figure one another out, but I always believed we had extra gears to go to, and that's ultimately what we managed on the day as we won a first-ever trophy.
The squad put in an incredible performance, we learnt from losing a cup final last year, and it was written in our 100th game that something special was on the cards. To each player, volunteer, and company, and the league itself, that helped make today special for everyone at Hype Train FC - thank you. Myself and Sam wouldn't be here, celebrating a first trophy without all the hard work around us, as well as the immense amount of work we dedicate to this club. It's an honour and privilege to be involved in a cup final, and I am personally beyond happy about what for me has been the perfect day - we are finally off the running with a first piece of silverware and it is a dream that has been 7 years in the making since forming The Hype Train.
Our entire journey to the Presidents Cup has been one hell of a ride. We were in the preliminary round ahead Sandhurst, scored a last-minute winner against Harts of Bracknell, before we went through extra-time for the first time in a dramatic win against Frontline. We were then able to beat an Old Windsor outfit in the semi-finals for the first-time, and then were able to overcome a good Cressex side in the finals - the team who we managed our first landmark win over way back in our debut season. It's been an incredible ride, we beat the strongest teams in the competition, and on the whole deserve our place amongst the winners of the competition.
My commiserations go out to Mitch and all players and crew at Cressex, they played a good game and kept us honest throughout. It was a thriller for the neutral and they bought a lot of supporters with them and it was the extra crowd support that saw them have the 12th man so to speak - thankfully we were able to silence the crowd noise at the end of the game, but it did make for a great atmosphere in the game.
Again, thank you to everyone involved for a day which finally saw us become champions, and yes it is only our beginning."
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
Believe The Hype!
Σχόλια