Keynsham Town battle against relegation

THE Ks’ young first team have slipped back in the last month as they battle to stay clear of the relegation places in the Toolstation Western League Division One.

They find themselves back deep in trouble after away defeats at Bitton and Hengrove Athletic.

The Bitton game saw a first Ks goal for Jack Weaver, but a late winner for the home side gave them a 2-1 victory. However, the 4-0 defeat at Hengrove in mid-March was one of the lads’ worst performances of the season, with only nine games remaining to get the 10 or 11 points probably required to guarantee safety.

As far as manager James Tooze and the Ks reserve team are concerned, they have played 10 games in under two months and James has almost single-handedly guided the lads to a comfortable mid-table position.

The reserve team in any club often gets overlooked, and both James and the players deserve a huge amount of credit for battling through this season with a small squad and countless injuries.

The ladies’ first team have continued their improvement this season and were sitting in fourth place in the FA Women’s South West Division One going into the last couple of months of the season. They have also made it through to the Somerset Women’s County Cup Final, where they will meet Yeovil Town Women at Paulton Rovers FC on Thursday April 4 (7.30pm kick-off).

Off the field, it is with more than a tinge of sadness that the club has announced that Jules French and his wife Terrie will step back from their roles as Keynsham Town men’s club secretary, treasurer and catering manager at the end of the season.

Jules said: “Keeping up with all the football club jobs over the last few months has been a strain with Terrie’s health issues, from which she has thankfully now made a full recovery. This decision has not been reached lightly, but after more than 12 years building our community club up to what it is today, the time feels right to let someone else take over the reins.”

*Keynsham Town FC will host a fun day on Sunday May 12 in support of Muscular Dystrophy UK. The event, which kicks off at 10am, will include juniors, girls and seniors football. The bar will be open all day and food will be available. Entry is free.

Pictured, club stalwarts Terrie and Jules French