Former Sheppey United manager Ernie Batten proud of the club's progress

Ernie Batten is proud of the club Sheppey have become as he settles into his new director of football role.

The Ites’ quadruple-winning manager moved upstairs on the eve of the new Isthmian South East season, handing the reins to striker Jack Midson.

Rather than dwell too much on the timing of his decision, which surprised many, Batten prefers to reflect on Sheppey’s progress.

“You do miss it but I did it for seven years and sometimes other things in life become more important and that’s where I find myself,” he said.

“When you’ve been involved for as long as I have, when is the right time?

“The club’s certainly in a good place and the team I’m sure will establish itself at this level.

“It’s going to take a bit of time to find our feet and, in time, there might be a few adjustments, but there’s no reason why the team can’t do well.

“I’m sure it’ll be an ongoing thing, it’ll evolve, as we did right from the start.

“We build at a reasonable pace, so it takes time if you’ve got ambitions to get to the next level. I think the great thing about Sheppey, the key thing, has been the balance between what we’ve achieved on the pitch and off it.

“When we started out at Holm Park it was just a field with a rope around it and we’ve gone from that to a very smart-looking, modern stadium with the latest facilities.

“We’ve just invested £116,000 on a car park, which has all been laid, for 100 spaces and we’ve got another area on the other side of the ground for players and officials.

“We’ve got the latest 3G surface and sprinkler system, the best on the market, the academy’s starting in September, and we’ve got Step 4 Isthmian status.

“I think that balance is absolutely key to creating a sustainable club.

“As me and Matt (Smith,