Minehead AFC lose against Keynsham Reserves in final game

The match was a replay of the unfinished game in March, which was abandoned due to a serious injury.

The game started brightly for Minehead, with two chances to score in the first 30 seconds, but Keynsham's goalkeeper, Keir Doherty, blocked both attempts.

The first half saw neither team gaining dominance until Keynsham's Alex Hodges scored in the fourth minute of injury time, putting Minehead 1-0 behind.

The Blues had more possession in the second half, with Louis Burge's header from an Ollie Hall corner hitting the crossbar.

A late effort from Toby Waghorn levelled the score at 1-1 with 15 minutes remaining.

However, seven minutes into injury time, Burge fouled Hodges in the penalty area, and the Keynsham forward scored the penalty to seal the victory.

This defeat means Minehead ended the season just above the relegation zone, having won only two games in 2025.

Injuries and player availability have been a consistent issue for manager Craig Carr, who has had to use ten different goalkeepers in the final ten games since mid-February.

A spokesperson for Minehead AFC said: "The slide down the table has been alarming, yet looking back, an almost inevitable one having been forced to use so many different players."

Minehead's season started with promise, as they won seven of their opening eight league games.

By mid-February, they had only lost two league games.

However, the combination of injuries and squad changes has taken its toll on the team.

The matchday squad against Keynsham included Jack Harding, Harvey Henderson, Charlie Disney, Burge, Dan Vickers, Sam Jackson, Will Singleton-Voss, Stefan Phillips, Waghorn, Andy Hall, and Ollie Hall.

The subs used were Harvey Lovell, Jack Campbell-Farmer, and Scott Kivell.

Despite the team's struggles, Burge was named man of the match for his performance.