He then won a place on the PFA Team of the Year the following season and also played on loan at Lincoln City before being sold to Sunderland for £80,000 in July 1979.
He helped Sunderland to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1979–80, and in 1985 played on the losing side in the League Cup final, before he was named as the club's Player of the Year.
The pair were sacked in April 1995, and he coached at Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers before being appointed manager at Hartlepool United in February 1999.
[6] He enjoyed a highly successful debut season, winning the club's Player of the Year award for his performances across his 52 appearances as Len Ashurst's Owls posted an eighth-place finish in the Third Division in the 1976–77 campaign.
Wednesday slipped to 14th-place in the 1977–78 season, and Turner was limited to 31 appearances as new manager Jack Charlton looked for a larger-sized goalkeeper in Bob Bolder.
[8] Ken Knighton led the Rokerites to promotion out of the Second Division in 1979–80 – they finished runners-up, just a point behind champions Leicester City – with Turner playing 30 of the club's 42 league games as he fended off competition from Barry Siddall.
Sunderland did also make it to the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium in 1985, but lost 1–0 to Norwich City after Gordon Chisholm deflected Asa Hartford's shot past Turner just after half-time.
[5] In July 1985, Ron Atkinson signed Turner for a £275,000 fee to challenge Gary Bailey for the number one shirt at Manchester United.
Bailey was injured for most of the 1986–87 season,[11] but Turner could only make it to 29 appearances as youth team goalkeeper Gary Walsh established himself in the first-team at Old Trafford.
[4] Ironically, Eustace was replaced by Ron Atkinson, who managed to keep Wednesday three points above the relegation zone at the end of the 1988–89 season.
He also spent a two-game spell on loan at Howard Wilkinson's Second Division Leeds United, providing cover for the injured Mervyn Day.
[12] However, Turner did not return to the top flight and instead dropped down to the Third Division to sign for Leyton Orient to be reunited with former Wednesday manager Eustace, who paid a fee of £75,000.
Turner was appointed manager at Hartlepool United by chairman Ken Hodcroft on 24 February 1999, who were sitting bottom of the Football League following Mick Tait's departure.
[14] He proved to be an instant success at Victoria Park, keeping the Monkey Hangers two places and three points ahead of Scarborough, who were relegated into non-League football and never to return at the end of the 1998–99 season following a real upturn in form.
[17] He was unable to save the club from relegation to the third tier at the end of the 2002–03 season, and later said it was "virtually a no-win situation" and that it was "like trying to build a shed without the tools.
[24] On 15 December 2008, Turner took over as caretaker manager at Hartlepool following the departure of Danny Wilson, in addition to his Director of Sport role at the club.
Speaking in January 2010, Turner responded to criticism from supporters by saying that "people have to realise to get into the top six is very difficult for the majority of clubs in this division".
[25] Pools ended the 2009–10 campaign above the relegation zone on goal difference after being deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player as Gary Liddle played against Brighton & Hove Albion when he should have served a suspension.