Sheppey United supporters lined Queenborough Road in Minster for funeral of manager Ernie Batten. Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:00Every supporter will also agree with me. Without Ernie Batten, this football club wouldn't be here today.
00:07Today, Sheppi said goodbye to their beloved manager, owner, chairman and to many in the football club and the town, a friend.
00:14He passed away last month aged 67 and ahead of his funeral today, fans lined the street outside the Sharrock Stadium at Holm Park to honour their most successful manager.
00:22When he took over as owner and also as manager, he's given the Isle of Sheppi so many memories that live on forever.
00:33We got to the first round of the FA Cup proper last year, which was live on ITV.
00:39In all the club's history, that was only a dream. It was just in the pipeline.
00:46You never expected it to be part of your lifetime.
00:49And thanks to Ernie, we can cherish that memory for a long time.
00:54Now, Sheppi United has plenty of club legends, but today they're honouring Ernie Batten.
00:58He got them two promotions, four trophies and earned them a place in six different finals.
01:03But it wasn't just his achievements with the team that mattered.
01:07It was also his dedication to the club.
01:08And locals tell me that Sheppi United and Holm Park wouldn't have been here without him.
01:13Before the turn of the century, Sheppi United were nearing their end.
01:17They'd sold their home ground, Botany Road, to developers in the early 90s to clear a huge overdraft debt.
01:23With no home stadium and attendances falling, the team disbanded.
01:26But when former player turned owner and manager Ernie Batten purchased and improved the current ground of Holm Park,
01:32revived the senior team and brought the club more victories than it had ever seen before,
01:37no one on the Isle or off it would disagree that Ernie was Sheppi's greatest manager.
01:41Well, Ernie Batten, obviously, when he left school early, he started playing semi-professional football.
01:47And he's done a lot of football, played for a lot of clubs and all things like that.
01:51And obviously, he come back and this ground here, as you can see here, wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Ernie Batten.
01:58But Ernie put all the money in.
02:00Ernie paid for the pitch and all that and everything, yeah.
02:03Lee said that Ernie was a shy, reserved man by nature, but would have appreciated the support of the town,
02:10whether it was fans at the procession or the funeral itself.
02:13It's the busiest funeral I've ever been to.
02:16There were people standing at the back, there were people sitting on the sides.
02:22We could have easily filled a second fermatorium site today.
02:27I've just come back to the wake and the clubhouse is packed.
02:30The club themselves said, you made our dreams come true, Ernie.
02:34Your legacy lives forever.
02:36Good night, Gaffer.
02:37Finn McDermid for Kame TV in Sheppi.