Sheppey United v Walsall: FA Cup highs and lows for manager Ernie Batten as he recalls Wembley win for Bob Stokoe’s Sunderland and a penalty miss he’d rather forget

Sheppey’s manager was reminded of an FA Cup First-Round incident he’d prefer to forget - added incentive to pull off a famous victory tonight.

Ernie Batten - the Sheppey boss - was a lethal finisher as a player but his shooting boots let him down when he stepped up to take a crucial penalty for Hastings United in their First Round proper match against Enfield back in the day.

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Batten was asked about that game on Wednesday night, as Sheppey held their press conference before the club’s big FA Cup match against Walsall tonight, which is live on ITV4.

Hastings were 1-0 down in the match played in November 1981, but were given a lifeline in the 89th minute after being awarded a penalty.

“I missed!” Batten reluctantly recalled. “We went onto lose 2-0, conceding a second in the 95th minute and so hopefully we can exorcise that demon as well!”

The FA Cup has always been a special tournament for Batten, having watched his beloved Sunderland in the 1973 final - a game he remembers for all the right reasons.

Sunderland won the match 1-0 thanks to Ian Porterfield’s 32nd-minute goal infront of an estimated crowd of 100,000 at Wembley.

Batten said: It’s the biggest memory (of the competition) for me but probably not one anyone can remember!

“I was there as a young boy after Charlton Athletic got me a ticket, because I was there at the time.

“(I remember) watching Ian Porterfield score that goal, Jim Montgomery making that wonderful double save and then Bob Stokoe (the manager) running on with his old trilby hat, falling off, that sort of stuff and then Bobby Kerr lifting the cup.

“Nobody thought Sunderland had a cat in hell’s chance that day, they were near the bottom of the