More on KentOnline
Sheppey United look to be in safe hands after naming an interim chairman following the resignation of Tony Hughes.
Mr Hughes oversaw a stellar 18 months at Holm Park, during which time The Ites’ senior side reached the FA Cup first round proper, which was broadcast live on TV, and the team also pushed for a play-off place.
It’s all change again, however, with Hughes handing over to season ticket holder and local businessman Steve Manning, with Dave Ingram Jnr and Lee Allen there to assist as interim vice-chairmen.
The club plans to review all of the roles in the summer but there’s no shortage of deep-rooted love for Sheppey within the boardroom.
Interim vice chairman Lee Allen said: “Between myself, Dave and Steve, we’ve all got the club at heart. What we want to do now is just carry it through to the end of the season.
“We’re still in a good place in the league, just outside the play-offs. We’ve got a few games now where we can catch up and hopefully maybe slide into the play-offs come the end of the season.
“Tony had been in discussions with the owners for a couple of weeks (about his position). Non-league football is pretty much voluntary, he’s a business owner and time does get swallowed up. It’s a big role.
“The plan is that Steve Manning has come in on an interim basis and we will review it at the end of the season. If Steve enjoys it, he’ll carry on. If he feels that the club would benefit from having someone else, we’ll advertise accordingly and get someone in.
“Tony had the luxury of being chairman in our historic FA Cup run. We’d never got to the first round of the FA Cup before and there we are on TV against Walsall!
“It was brilliant, creating memories for everyone who was involved for years, going away to Merthyr, winning there, drawing at Billericay, bringing them back to Holm Park and beating them on the penalty shoot-out, capacity crowds. It was unbelievable.
“We might not ever get that again in our lifetimes. Everyone played a part in that, and Tony obviously was key as well.”
The Ites lost 1-0 at Billericay Town on Tuesday night in the Velocity Cup quarter-final - having not played a league game since a 3-1 New Year’s Day win over Hythe Town.
Allen is a familiar face for fans having taken on a number of roles over the past few years, as the first team’s general manager, kit man and social media manager.
Introducing the new team at the top, he said: “Dave Ingram Jr. is coming in to help us, a local businessman but his dad was vice-chairman years ago, part of the team that reformed the club about 13 years ago, so well-connected and he knows the club.
“Steve’s got a couple of businesses on the island. He’s been a Sheppey supporter, certainly since the club reformed 13 years ago, and most of the supporters know him as he goes home and away.
“I’ve been working behind the scenes now for four years, working closely with (former chairman) Matt Smith during his time here and my wife Nicola used to run the venue for about 18 months. I’m coming in to help bridge the gaps a little bit. I’ve said to Steve, any time you need me, I’m here.
“At the end of the season, we do need to sit down and see where it all lays.
“We’ve got a good team here, we’re all volunteers and we all put lots of time into it. Already Steve and myself, we’re talking to all the staff, the volunteers, sponsors. We just want to engage with as many supporters as we can, just let them know that nothing changes from their perspective.
“Football continues and we’re already planning ahead for next season. You have to plan several months ahead and we’re already planning that as we speak.”
The Sheppey bosses won’t divert from the focus on spending within their means and the way to increase their playing budget will be to improve attendances and attract more sponsors.
Since promotion from the SCEFL Premier Division, The Ites have more than handled themselves at the next level, knocking on the door of the play-offs. They now need to find a way of making the next step.
Allen said: “Compared to some of the teams in the league, budget-wise, we’re probably not touching the likes of Ramsgate, we live within our means. We always will do.
“We won’t overspend as a club. Obviously, everyone knows that years ago Sheppey went bust and that’s not the position we want to be in again.
“My first season was working with the likes of (ex-chairman) Matt (Smith) and (director/manager) Ernie (Batten) the year we won the four trophies but I’ve been a supporter since the 80s. My dad used to take me down to the old Botany Road ground and I used to love all that and then Sheppey went bust.
“Like most other fans, we all diverted and I ended up going to watch Gillingham quite a bit. Since the club’s reformed, I’ve obviously come back and that’s one of the things with Sheppey, they’ve basically had to start from no fan base again.
“Thirteen years ago, there was just a handful and we’re growing it. We’re getting circa 400 fans now. There’s definitely growth for more. That’s going to be one of our targets, to try and increase that crowd because as you move on and go through the leagues, you need to grow your crowd to be sustainable.
“I’m a supporter, as well as working with the likes of Ernie to achieve as best as we can. We have the budget. We won’t overspend the budget. I’d hope this season we’ll either match what we've done last year or we go that extra step.”
The club have a strong structure below the first team with a youth set-up, an under-23 development team and close links to a step six side in Sheppey Sports who they share Holm Park with.
Allen said: “This year we’ve actually introduced quite a few youngsters. The average age of the team against Deal Town was something like 22, with Dan Bradshaw - aged 34 - in the team. We’ve got a couple of 16-year-olds we’ve recently introduced. That’s good for the local community, we have got a youth system and if they’re good enough, they will be put in.
“We’re three points ahead of where we were last season. That’s positive. Anything’s possible. We won our last game on New Year’s Day but unfortunately, the weather’s done us no favours, we haven’t played since. That’s gutting for us, because once you’ve been on the run of four straight defeats, and then you get a win, you want to carry on playing.”
Sheppey will hope to start seeing some of their injured players return but Jacob Lambert is currently missing and captain Danny Leonard had a little setback after he recently returned from injury.
The Ites have back-to-back home games coming up with Broadbridge Heath the visitors on Saturday and that’s quickly followed by a game against Burgess Hill on Tuesday night.