MINEHEAD started the season in the Premier Division of the Errea Somerset County League in emphatic style with a morale boosting victory over a disjointed looking Bridgwater Reserves side on Saturday.

With four key players missing from last seasons' successful squad, and a few somewhat ordinary performances in the last three pre-season friendlies, any scepticism the large group of travelling supporters might have had was swept away with two slick goals in the opening 15 minutes.

Firstly Guy Burns carved a route through the heart of the home midfield and slotted a perfect pass to teenager Zac Ryder who coolly slotted the ball out of Greg Turner's reach and into the net off the far post. This was Ryder's first goal for the senior team, having netted more than 30 times for the Reserves last season.

Within minutes Minehead doubled their lead when Luke Freeman cleverly beat his defender on the left flank and put across an accurate centre which Martyn Phillips met on the volley giving Turner no chance.

After a 20-yard curler from the lively Ryder had gone inches over the angle of post and crossbar, the home side enjoyed their best spell of the match, and Lee Villis brought a superb save out of Kyran Wilkins who acrobatically pushed the fierce drive onto the bar and over for a corner.

On the half hour a drive from just inside the box struck Minehead captain Mike Mullen on a hand and after referee Chris Hunt had pointed to the spot it was Wilkins again who came to the rescue, blocking the central shot with his legs and gathering the ball before an opponent could reach it.

The strike partnership of Burns and Ryder, ably assisted by Freeman and Phillips on the flanks, was causing the home defence problems, and it was Burns who next went close with a 25 yard drive, then Ryder saw his goal-bound shot blocked after another incisive move. Play became scrappy for a while after the interval and with Bridgwater's frustration starting to show their reaction to a couple of late challenges resulted in some pushing and shoving incidents.

For their involvement in such incidents both Burns and Phillips received cautions from the referee, along with a few of their opposite numbers. The final quarter of an hour saw Minehead run riot with four more goals and some superb use of the ball from defence and midfield, and some good running off the ball up front. Chris Newbold made it three nil when he came in on the blind side and side-footed home a deep Matt Cracknell cross after the defender had made one of his trademark marauding runs. After three quick substitutions Minehead kept up their standard of play and with Rob Gurnett, Declan Green and Damion Redman coming on for Mike Mullen, Martyn Phillips and Zac Ryder, the blues stayed very firmly in control.

With virtually his first touch of the ball, Redman who had been put through by another defence splitting pass, cleverly dummied the oncoming keeper and tucked the ball into the empty net with his left foot.

Burns went close to making it five when his shot from the edge of the box hit the post with Turner seemingly beaten, but the nap hand wasn't far away and it was Redman again who stole in unmarked at the far post to score with his right foot.

The same player, who had come on as a substitute in the 80th minute, completed a perfect hat-trick (one goal with each foot plus a header) when he nodded home another perfect cross, with literally the last touch of a pulsating match. This was an emphatic victory against a Bridgwater team who flattered to deceive, who showed spasms of promise but repeatedly gave the ball away and rarely won it back.

It was a good revenge for the blues, who had beaten by a strengthened Bridgwater Reserves team last season, who won 4-1 when the sides met in midweek for the same fixture last season.

Minehead: Kyran Wilkins, Chris Newbold (1), Matt Cracknell, Paul Smyth, Mike Mullen (Cap), Luke Bloys, Martyn Phillips (1), Jack Groves-Furse, Zac Ryder (1), Guy Burns, Luke Freeman. Subs: Damion Redman (9,80) (3), Declan Green (7,82), Rob Gurnett (5,82)