Sheppey United’s de facto manager Geoff Record has called on the local community to pay their respects to former boss Ernie Batten this Saturday.

Record has taken over managerial responsibility from life-long friend Batten, who died last week and has been described as the club’s “greatest football manager”.

The Ites take on Deal Town at Holm Park in Isthmian League South East.

Record said: “We’re going to have a minute’s applause before the game and it’s a chance for everyone to come together to remember Ernie.

“I’m asking any ex-local players, current local players if they’re available, supporters from decades ago, current supporters, local business people that Ernie has been involved with in his affairs and people he knew, anyone in the community who has remotely got a sporting bone in their body, to come and pay their respects on Saturday at home against Deal Town.”

Record and Batten knew each other when they were teenagers and socialised together, played together at different clubs and went into management together. They even lived together for a time.

Remembering his friend, Record said: “As a man, he was a patient man, he was the best friend to me that you could have asked for. He did things for me in my life I was never able to repay him for.

“When my life was going through a number of problems he asked me to come and live with him for a couple of months - that turned into 18 months.

“He was very skilled in business and all I can say is ‘what a friend!’ and over 50 years is a long time. Things change in life. Ernie had his family and I had mine and as we got older things changed, but for 30 years or more we were pretty much with each other on a daily basis. It’s very sad.”

Both men have a long association with Sheppey United, playing together for the club and neither was keen on hanging their boots up. Batten ended up playing for Record when he took over as Herne Bay manager.

“Ernie was in his late 30s, possibly 40, and he was still scoring goals!” Record recalled.

Batten was Record’s assistant at Sheppey United before the club folded and they went their separate ways, football-wise. Batten continued playing locally for the likes of Sheerness East.

Record said: “We continued to train together and run together and we’d play tennis where it was so competitive.

“We’d play tennis for three hours without a break, I’d be on my last legs but at match point he’d be going at the same level as the first point we played, he’d just ground me down!”

Batten ended up coaching youth teams and took a young Sheppey side to Ashford United, as their reserves, with Record helping out.

A successful businessman, Batten ran a property lettings business and a care home business. He lived out in Gibraltar for several years and Record remembers a conversation they had before the pair returned together in management.

He said: “I remember sitting on the balcony one day, having a cup of coffee, reading the paper and he shouted out to me, “Oi, when I come home, whenever that happens, I think I’ll get another job in football. Will you come and help and be my assistant?”

“I spat my coffee out. We had been out of it for eight years, I asked if he was kidding. I said, ‘How are we going to get a team together!?’ He said, “You leave that to me - all I want to know is if you’re going to help me with it.” I said I would.

“Two weeks after that Sheppey reformed with Matt Smith and Kevin Hake and the rest is history. We picked it up [after Hake left] and we had a great footballing life.”

The Ites will have their quadruple-winning captain Billy Bennett back with them this weekend.

Bennett left for Chatham Town and moved onto Faversham Town but has agreed to a return to Holm Park.

Ahead of his return he had commented on the loss of his former boss, posting on X: “Real tough one this. You can be immensely proud of what you leave behind. Rest easy mate.”