Notts County boss Luke Williams pays tribute to the late Jason Turner after reaching Wembley
- Published
Luke Williams arrived at Notts County last summer and worked closely with Jason Turner at Meadow Lane
Boss Luke Williams paid special tribute to the late Jason Turner after Notts County booked their place in the National League promotion final.
Sunday's win against Boreham Wood came four days after the funeral for the club's chief executive was held.
Williams, who was among those to carry the coffin, said he looked up at the memorial flag for Turner in the stands at Meadow Lane throughout the match.
"I'm sure the smile got broader," Williams said of Turner's image.
"Look at him, he's there. Honestly, he looks happy.
"At one point I looked across and he was frowning at me."
Williams spoke of Turner with a broad smile of his own after seeing Jodi Jones score a last-minute extra-time goal to seal an enthralling 3-2 win against the Wood.
After missing out on promotion to Wrexham despite amassing 107 points, Sunday's victory set up a final against Chesterfield at Wembley on Saturday, 13 May when Notts plan to have the memorial flag of Turner unfurled in the stands.
Williams, 42, has previously spoken about how Turner's sudden death in March has impact the club and would emotionally charge their bid for promotion.
After moving to within one win of securing a return to the English Football League after a four-year absence, Williams said that "the whole time has been tough" since Turner passed away.
"It's hard to explain, I'm a grown man but Jason looked after me and protected me," Williams told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"Nothing ever seemed to be a problem and I'm learning more and more that many things were a problem, he just didn't bring them to me.
"To carry all these different problems and then still come into my office with joy and be cheery all the time, and always make sure I was OK, it is something I'll never forget. I owe him so much."