MINEHEAD bounced back to form with an 8-1 home win over Keynsham Town Reserves in the first division of the Uhlsport Somerset County Football League.

Minehead came out of the blocks with a determination that belied their lowly position. Though missing five regular starters, Minehead took the game to the Western League side’s reserve team, and the electric Toby Waghorn could have scored twice after seven minutes, when presented with half chances during a melee.

Firstly, seeing the ball canon off the keeper and from the rebound another effort on target was cleared off the line. After remonstrating that the ball had cleared the line, Minehead’s Ollie Morris, who was near the goal at the time, was shown an early yellow.

What seemed an overdue opener finally came when Guy Burns calmly placed a free kick from 20 yards around the wall into the bottom corner, leaving goalkeeper Clayton Barry stranded expecting a shot to his left.

Keynsham soon found a way back into the game when their captain, centre forward James Shipman, followed up to slot home after a shot from 25 yards was parried by Blues’ keeper Greg Turner, with Minehead defenders looking slow to react.

But Minehead were in no mood to roll over, and after visiting shot-stopper Berry had done well to parry a goal-bound shot from Morris, it was Waghorn who was quickest to react and put Minehead in front. The third home goal soon followed, from Waghorn again with a 25-yard effort which took a slight deflection. The goal was hotly disputed by the club linesman (a substitute player) who after remonstrating was sent to the dugout by the referee.

Waghorn completed his hat-trick before the break, with a perfectly executed lob over the keeper from Burns’ assist.

The second half started in similar fashion, when just three minutes after resuming Waghorn was on hand to shoot home after a mistake by a defender. Just three minutes later, after Burns was fouled, the free kick was turned into his own net by substitute Joseph Bakali-Loughton to make it six.

To their credit, Keynsham continued to attack when they had the opportunity, and the tireless Shipham was unlucky to hit the post, and moments later should have scored with a free header.

Manager Craig Carr introduced fresh legs for Minehead throughout the second half with Felix Faun (who was later replaced due to an injury), Declan Green and Janusz Jasielczuk coming on as the Blues continued to attack.

Waghorn kept his best goal until last, when he scored a fine individual goal, weaving passed five Keynsham defenders before shooting home past an understandably beleaguered Clayton. To make the visitors’ bad day complete, substitute Alex Hodges was shown a red card just before time.

The five goal haul leaves Waghorn as the division’s current top scorer, and will give his side a boost that will have been very welcome.

Minehead: Greg Turner, Felix Faun, Bertie Harvey-Larmar, Stefan Phillips, Toby Morris, Will Singleton-Voss, Sam Jackson, Andy Hall, Guy Burns, Fin Harran, Olly Prescott. Subs: Toby Waghorn, Felix Faun, Luke Bloys (all used). Man of the Match: Toby Waghorn.

Footnote: The last player to score five or more goals for Minehead’s first team was Jason Charlesworth, who scored five times against Heavitree United in a Western League match on December 12th 1998.