Graham Turner

Turner was born in Ellesmere Port and was an England youth international. He started his playing career at Wrexham before moving to rivals Chester in January 1968 in part-exchange for Ian Moir. Five years and 218 Football League appearances later he moved to his third and final club Shrewsbury Town for £30,000. Having played as a midfielder for his first two clubs, he switched to centre back. He went on to make over 350 league appearances for the Salopians. During the 1970s he played against Hereford United several times, the club he was later to buy.

Shrewsbury Town

He became player-manager for the Shrews in the 1978–79 season, the same year the club sealed the Third Division championship. Shrewsbury ultimately spent ten seasons in the Second Division and Turner twice led them to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. He ended his playing career in 1983, and left Shrewsbury after six seasons to take charge of Aston Villa in the summer of 1984.

Aston Villa

Turner's time at Villa Park was less successful and he was dismissed on 14 September 1986, just over two years after his appointment, with the club facing relegation from the First Division.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

He was then appointed manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, a club then in the Fourth Division and massively in financial trouble (barely out of debt), on 7 October 1986. In his first season Wolves reached the play-offs but failed to secure promotion. However the following two seasons brought successive promotions with the help of goalscorer Steve Bull and striking partner Andy Mutch. Mid-table finishes in the Second Division, and subsequently (following the formation of the Premier League) Division One, followed before he left in March 1994. There had been speculation about his future as manager more than two years earlier after a dismal start to the 1991–92 season, but a turnaround in form preserved his job for a while. He also led Wolves to glory at Wembley in the 1987–88 Associate Members' Cup.

Hereford United

He was…

Shrewsbury Town

Football League Third Division: 1978–79 Football League Two second-place promotion: 2011–12 Welsh Cup: 1978–79, 1983–84 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Football League Third Division: 1988–89 Football League Fourth Division: 1987–88 Associate Members' Cup: 1987–88 Hereford United

Football League Two third-place promotion: 2007–08 Conference National play-offs: 2006 Individual

Football Conference Manager of the Month: December 2002 Football League Two Manager of the Month: February 2011, April 2012

Personal honours

In October 2010, Graham received an award from the City of Hereford giving him Freedom of the city.