Minehead Football Club's greatest manager, Bob Boyd, dies aged 70

During the late 1970’s, Bob steered the Blues to their pinnacle in the non-league pyramid when they finished second behind Wimbledon in the Southern League Premier – meaning they were technically the 95th best team in England that year.

He also managed the team that played in front of 14,000 spectators at Portsmouth in the second round of the FA Cup.

HEYDAY: Bob (bottom right) with Minehead players and staff listening to the FA Cup round 2 draw

A spokesman for the club described Bob Boyd as one of Minehead AFC’s ‘most treasured friends’.

“Bob was at Minehead’s last game of the season in Weston-super-Mare and tried to get to a couple of games every season,” the spokesperson said.

“Bob was straight-forward talking and well thought-of. 
“He was a big guy, 6ft 2in. He could play a fantastic long ball and had a thunderous shot.”

During his Minehead career Bob made an impressive 453 appearances, scoring 70 goals – despite playing centre half.

Bob was married to his wife Sue for 50 years, had two children, Robert – also a former Minehead manager – and Lisa, and six grandchildren.

His son Robert said: “He was a family man, very clean-living – he never drank or smoked. 

“He loved his sport and his enthusiasm for it has run in the family.

"He was very active right up until the end and could often be found on the golf course or in the garden."

“He took over as player-manager of Minehead at 23, he had fantastic leadership qualities.”

Bob spoke to the Gazette in December, 2017, as part of feature looking back 40 years on from Minehead footballing glory days.

“When I took over the side there was the basis of a good side, and we built it up from there,” Bob said.

“We had a low budget but a great fanbase – I’d say four or five could play in the Football League today.

“It was a golden spell for us, and fantastic to play in front of a big crowd every week.”

Just 22 players turned out for Minehead AFC in the 1976/77 campaign in which they played 69 games and scored a total of 124 goals.

In later years, Bob went on to be a director at Bristol City Football Club.

He was also part of the 1982 board which helped save the club after the Robins suffered a series of relegations.

Negotiations with the ‘Ashton Gate Eight’ helped to ensure the survival of the club back then following a period in Division One.

Bob also helped form the Boco Boys club in Bristol in 1978 by Boyd with John Cummins.

Today, the club exists as AEK-BOCO FC, with almost 500 children on the books playing in the Hanham Minor League, Avon Youth League and Bristol Girls League.

Bob, who lived in Burnham-on-Sea, passed away on Sunday, June 11, in hospital following a heart attack.