Turf hold on to league title with two games to spare

Richmond Turf 9 Unison GLR 2

RICHMOND Turf retained the division one league title in emphatic style with this second- half blitz of runners-up Unison GLR at a wet Wavell Road last Sunday.

Turf arrived needing just one point to clinch a second consecutive league title with two games to spare, but Unison had already beaten them twice this season, including in the final of the league challenge cup ten days earlier, so a tight, hard fought match between the top two sides in the league was much anticipated.

However the Unison preparations were not helped by several of their players getting lost on the way to the ground and the kick-off had to be delayed for 20 minutes, but once the game did finally get under way Turf looked determined to get the job done quickly.

In fact, it was only their over-eagerness to kill off the visitors early on that prevented them from having the title won by half time. Steve Butterworth, revelling in his new central midfield role, twice tested Unison stand-in keeper Jonathan Capps from long range in the opening eight minutes while Capps then denied Martin Butterworth after Richard Thompson had sent him clear in the 14th minute.

But the breakthrough finally arrived ten minutes later when a fine ball from Thompson sent Steve Allison away down the left and he drilled the ball past Capps into the bottom right hand corner of the net to put Turf within sight of the title.

The rest of the half saw a succession of chances for Turf to wrap up the points, and the title, but Gabriel Radu, Martin Butterworth and Thompson were all unable to show the necessary composure in front of goal and frustration was beginning to set in.

Despite missing several key players, Unison were working extremely hard to keep the hosts at bay and they were rewarded for their efforts with virtually their only attack of the half. Turf keeper Michael Briggs was far too casual after receiving a back pass from Stu Durkin three minutes before the break, and his attempted clearance struck Chris Walker and flew into the net to make the half time score 1-1.

However, that merely spurred Turf into even greater efforts and they wrapped up the title with four goals in the opening 12 minutes of the second half.

Allison began the avalanche in the 49th minute when he turned the ball home from close range following a goalmouth scramble and then, as then rain began to fall, Unison’s resistance ended.

Stuart Jackson glanced home a left-wing cross from Radu to make it 3-1 two minutes later, while Allison then completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute with a shot from 12 yards that slipped under the dive of Capps.

Jason Newall then got in on the act, drilling the ball home from 18 yards after good work from Martin Butterworth, before captain Butterworth added the sixth himself on the hour after Thompson had headed the ball back into his path following a great right wing cross from Kalumn Holbrook.

The goals were now coming thick and fast and Allison took his tally to four in 64th minute with another cool near post finish after more good work from the tireless Thompson.

A game that for so long had been billed as the big title decider was now turning into a training ground exercise for Turf, and substitute Lee White was only denied a goal to savour by the crossbar two minutes later after beating a shell-shocked Capps from 25 yards.

However, it was 8-1 in the 73rd minute when Thompson finally got the goal his display deserved, drilling the ball home at the near post after another strong run down the left.

Unison did grab a consolation 16 minutes from time when a long-range effort from Simon Dodsworth took a wicked deflection off Jackson to leave Briggs wrong-footed, but inevitably it was Turf who had the final word. A mistake by defender Barry Robinson let in Martin Butterworth in the 86th minute and he took his time before coolly rolling the ball past the exposed Capps to complete the scoring.

So Turf lifted the title again with two games still to play to complete the league and Frank Bainbridge Cup double for the second season in a row, while Unison could at least console themselves with a cup double of their own.