After heavy defeats in their last two matches, this was just what the Scholars players and supporters needed to sign off a season which saw the club come close to reaching the promotion playoffs in their debut season at this level, alongside of course their incredible FA Carlsberg Trophy campaign.

Six different players would find the net during a hot and sunny afternoon at the Scholars Ground, with Gary Birch’s strike seeing him finish as top scorer overall for the season on 19 goals although Ben Jevons also found the target to leave him as top League scorer with 14.

It took Jevons just 11 minutes to open the scoring for the Scholars as Birch headed on from a Ramone Stephens cross allowing Jevons to drive low into the net past Retford keeper David Derwent.

Seven minutes later Mark Branch unleashed a trademark free kick after a foul on Stephens and although Derwent got his fingers to it the ball slotted inside the post to double Chasetown’s lead.

The home side were totally dominant throughout the first half and on the half hour Mark Branch nodded the ball out to Dean Perrow whose cross was tapped into the net by Birch for his 19th of the season.

Lee Parsons though he had made it four on 36 minutes as he charged down a hack from Price but was adjudged to have handled the ball by referee Sian Massey.

Retford understandably looked somewhat demoralised at the conclusion of a dreadful season but they perked up a little in the second half with Michael Blythen’s cross collected by Ryan Price before Jordan Turner beat the offside trap and Price had to be alert to hack the ball clear.

The Chasetown onslaught resumed on 57 minutes when Jimmy Turner crossed from the left allowing Richard Davies to chest down and he dinked the ball over the advancing Derwent and into the corner of the net to score number four.

Perrow then headed over the bar before on 73 minutes a cross from Turner dropped nicely for substitute Chris Morris but skipper Richard Teesdale got there first and celebrated his 100th league game for the Scholars as he hammered the ball into the net.

Blythen was showing some fighting spirit for the visitors with several crosses with one headed wide by Matthew Blake with six minutes to go, but there was no stopping the Scholars and in the 89th minute Jimmy Turner’s shot was deflected into the net by Perrow to make it six goals and six different scorers for the home side.

The result meant that Chasetown finished their maiden Evo-Stik Premier League season in tenth place, a wonderful achievement at their highest ever level in the non-League pyramid.

Chasetown: Price, Turner, M Branch, Parsons, Cohen (J Branch, 65 mins), Teesdale, Stephens, Davies, Birch (Smith, 69 mins), Perrow, Jevons (Morris, 72 mins)

Other Subs: Westwood, Bridgwater (not used)