LAST week we began a look back at football’s earliest years in West Somerset, and Minehead’s outstanding 1911/12 season. Brian Walder has the rest of the story...

Minehead cruised to the West Somerset League title in 1911/12, and also clinched the Somerset Charity Cup that season.

Their attention then turned to the Somerset Senior Cup, at the time the county’s biggest cup competition.

READ MORE: How the West (Somerset League) was won

They hosted Watchet first up, and a 3-0 victory - two of the goals coming from centre forward Claude Forrest - saw Minehead through to a second round tie at Petters United, a Yeovil team, in February.

Two Archie Burgess goals saw Minehead win that 2-1, sending them into the semi-finals in March.

Minehead were back at The Rec, hosting Western League side Clevedon for a place in the final, and won 2-1 again, courtesy of goals from Forrest and Humphrey Forman.

A crowd of around 60 followed Minehead to Wells Athletic Ground on Easter Monday, for the final against Welton Rovers.

In a crowd of over 5,000 there was a much bigger contingent supporting Welton, who had already won the Western League that season.

In front of probably the biggest crowd they would have ever played against, Minehead lost the toss but made a sensational start.

Having quickly won the ball back, a cross from Richardson found Forrest, whose shot from close range gave Minehead the lead with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Welton were completely taken by surprise and it took a long time for them to settle.

Further opportunities to increase the lead came Minehead’s way, but it remained 1-0 at half-time.

The second half saw a retaliation from Welton as they monopolised the play, but regular saves from Minehead goalkeeper Harry Hawkes kept his side in front.

During the second half play became quite dirty, and officials needed to remove excited supporters from the pitch after a particularly feisty incident.

Late in the game a disputed free-kick resulted in Smith shooting home at the second attempt, meaning that a replay (at Yeovil) was necessary the following Saturday.

Fortunes on this occasion went against the West Somerset side, who were comfortably beaten by three clear goals.

The West Somerset Cup saw Minehead start with a 5-0 home win over Alcombe on Boxing Day, with Bertie Reed bagging a hat-trick.

A brace from Forrest secured a 3-0 semi-final win over Dunster, setting up a final at Dunster Lawns against Watchet at the end of March.

Minehead’s form by now was relentless, and they won the match (and the trophy) thanks to goals from Reed, Forrest and Richardson, without reply.

Finally, in the West Somerset Charity Cup, Minehead started in the semi-final with a tie against Quantock Vale, who they dispatched by four clear goals (Richardson getting a hat-trick).

This time the final was against Alcombe at Dunster Lawns.

After a “merciless trouncing” of Alcombe, 9-1, the reporter added that “if they had played serious football to the end they might easily have increased their score”.

Facts and figures of the season, in which thirty-three games were played, show that just four resulted in defeats, two in draws and the other twenty-seven were victories. In those thirty-three games one hundred and fifty-one goals were scored. Top scorers were Bertie Reed with thirty-three followed by Harry Sully with twenty-eight and Claude Forrest with twenty-five.