Sheppey United hold first Ernie Batten Cup in honour of late manager

KentOnline / KMTV

Ernie Batten is credited with bringing football back to the Isle of Sheppey, after the club's struggles in the early 2000's, and now he's honoured in a new preseason tradition.  Finn Macdiarmid reports.

Transcript

00:00Two promotions, six cup finals, four domestic trophies and one incredible FA Cup run.

00:07This is the legacy of Sheppie United's late manager Ernie Batten, who passed away earlier

00:11this year.

00:12He wasn't just a manager, but a father as well, and to honour him, his two sons led

00:16Sheppie Sport Football Club in a pre-season match against United, marking the very first

00:21Ernie Batten Cup.

00:22As I say, it was always going to be an emotional day for myself and my family, but again, it's

00:30a day that we celebrate my dad and everything he's done for the football club.

00:35This was his home, he absolutely loved this place and it is what it is today because he

00:43worked so hard and it was always his dream to bring the football back to the island and

00:51to look at it now.

00:52I'm just so proud of him.

00:53Ahead of kick-off, both teams, the officials and the fans applauded Ernie, who's often credited

00:58with making the club a beloved part of the island after its past struggles.

01:02You know, you drive down the road, you see youngsters in Sheppie United kit and tracksuits

01:07and when I was growing up we didn't have that, but look what we've got now, you know, average

01:11gates, you know, three, four hundred people, the success Sheppie have had, you know, the

01:17FA Cup, the season before last. So, you know, it's fantastic and, you know, the dad's legacy,

01:24what he's left is this place and, you know, we're happy, you know, we're so proud as

01:30a family to come out here and enjoy the facility amongst thousands of other people on this island.

01:36In the end, even though Sheppie United did win the match against their lower division rivals,

01:41Sport gave it a good go, ending the fixture with two goals to United's four. As well as being

01:46a fixture for the community, the Cup is also key for making sure both squads are fit and

01:50ready for the new season.

01:53You look at today, in this heat, the players get a good workout, a good sweat on them.

02:00So, you know, every friendly we play, whether we play against a team higher in the pyramid

02:06than us or lower in the pyramid than us, we want it to be a worthwhile exercise.

02:13Pre-season games might not seem all that important sometimes, but they can tell you a lot about

02:18how the club might perform next season. But this pre-season game isn't about the future,

02:23it's about the past, about what Ernie Batten did for the club and how they can honour his legacy

02:28going forward. Finn McDermid for KMTV.

Category

Transcript

Recommended