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Sheppey United director of football Matt Longhurst sees huge potential in the club.
Longhurst joined The Ites at the end of January to help with their aim of becoming self-sustainable at a higher level.
With Ernie Batten’s men chasing an Isthmian South East play-off spot this season, the club know everything else needs to keep apace.
Longhurst is starting at the bottom, hoping a bigger youth section will help further engage the local community, in turn boosting attendances and helping swell the first team budget. A crowd of 655 on Saturday for the game against Merstham was their second best league attendance of the season.
Longhurst helped get Ramsgate on the move and has since gained knowledge at both Billericay and Erith & Belvedere while also spending some valuable time with the hierarchy at ambitious step three side Cray Wanderers.
Batten, the club director, ground owner and manager, felt Longhurst was an ideal man to help grow Sheppey.
Longhurst said: “Sheppey already has the foundations, the 3G pitch is already down, it is ahead of where it was when I first went to Ramsgate.
“A lot of that stuff has already been done, we are already a few steps down the line. It is a case of enhancing it and throwing some of my ideas at it.
“This is what I have kind of done at other clubs as the manager but this time I haven’t got to focus on the results.
“It has been quite refreshing to be looking at the football side of the club without having to actually focus on the team.
Isthmian South East table
“Ernie asked for me to be involved with the first team, in terms of recruitment, analysis and coaching, and that is the first part but the real big thing he wanted me to do is to come in and grow the club from a football perspective and work closely with the chairman.
“This is a great club with so many people on the ground working and it has every opportunity of climbing through the leagues but it needs to catch up off the pitch.
“In the last few months there have been some big strides made with what Tony (Hughes, the chairman) has been doing and with Ernie and Geoff (Record, the assistant manager) on the pitch, which is great.
“Ernie wants to take the club to the next level and he’s looked at me and said ‘I think you’re the one who can come in and add some value to it’ and hopefully I can.
“The club wants to get to the next level but when they get there they want to be sustainable. Ernie is building the foundations properly, so that should he, or the chairman, not be there then it remains sustainable.
“We are trying to make sure we are big enough off the pitch that we can handle step three football and compete. He didn’t want to go up a division and not be able to financially compete and then come back down again.
“At the moment there are so many local derbies but there are less in the league above, which impacts the club, and you need to replace that lost revenue by your own stuff.
“If you play Potters Bar that won’t have the same impact as playing someone like Sittingbourne.
“We are sustainable now at this level and can compete at the top end but you can’t go up a level and rely on one benefactor putting money into it.
“The biggest thing is the kids, they are the future, getting the kids and their parents coming and being part of the club is how you then galvanise the community and that is how your crowds grow long term.
“This is the perfect job for me, I am out watching games, on the training ground with the players and doing analysis.
“I have got that side of it so have the dressing room feel, which is what most people miss when they come out of it.
“I have something I can sink my teeth into and I can see it growing in front of my own eyes.”
Sheppey United had one new defender in the side at the weekend and have signed another since then.
Experienced centre-half Dan Johnson lined up for the Ites during Saturday’s 1-0 Isthmian South East defeat at home to Merstham.
Lee Lewis’ 64th-minute strike was the difference and handed Merstham only their second away league win - the other coming at Ramsgate.
Johnson has joined on loan from title-chasing Ramsgate. His previous teams include Bromley, Margate and Dartford.
The second new arrival is 18-year-old left-footed defender Eduard Mare from Rotherham. He’s joined on a one-month work experience deal and is available for both the first team and the under-23s.
Another new face in the team at the weekend was 18-year-old goalkeeper Jayden Peglar after he joined on work experience from Colchester.
The Ites said: “With Aiden Prall subject to a late fitness test, and recent signing Beau Hudd also unavailable for the weekend, director of football Matt Longhurst got out his black book once more.”
Sheppey are at mid-table Burgess Hill this Saturday.
