Laurence Batty

Laurence Batty
Personal information
Full nameLaurence William Batty
Date of birth15 February 1964
Place of birthLondon, England
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Youth career
1979–1982S.C. Farense
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1982–1983S.C. Farense
1983–1984Maidenhead United
1984–1991Fulham9(0)
1987–1988→ Crystal Palace (loan)0(0)
1991Brentford0(0)
1991–2000Woking313(4)
2000→ Chesham United (loan)
2000St Albans City10(0)
Maidenhead United
2001–2002Molesey
2002–2003Walton & Hersham
National team
1993England Semi-Pro4(0)
Teams managed
2003Walton & Hersham (player-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Laurence Batty, sometimes known as George Batty, is a retired English football goalkeeper who played in the Football League for Fulham.[1] He is best remembered for his nine years in the higher echelons of non-league football with Woking, making over 420 appearances for the club and winning England Semi-Pro recognition at international level.[2] Later in his career, Batty player-managed Walton & Hersham and became a goalkeeping coach.

Club career

S.C. Farense

A goalkeeper, Batty began his career in Portugal in the youth system at S.C. Farense.[3] He progressed to the first team squad for the 1982/83 Segunda Divisão season, but he failed to make an appearance and departed the club at the end of the campaign.[3]

Maidenhead United

Batty returned to England to sign for Isthmian League Division One side Maidenhead United in 1983.[3] He left the club at the end of the 1982/83 season.[3]

Fulham

Batty moved up to the Football League to sign for Division Two side Fulham in 1984.[1] He managed just 9 appearances in a seven-year spell, departing Craven Cottage in March 1991.[1]

Crystal Palace (loan)

Batty joined Division Two side Crystal Palace on loan during the 1987/88 season, but failed to make an appearance.[3]

Brentford

Batty dropped down to Division Three to sign for Brentford in March 1991. He failed to receive a call into the first team squad and instead played for the reserves, making five appearances before departing at the end of the 1990/91 season.

Woking

Batty returned to non-league football to sign for Isthmian League Division One side Woking in the summer of 1991.[2] He was an ever-present in the league in his first season and collected the first silverware of his career with the Division One title, which the Cards won at a canter.[2][3] Rarely for a goalkeeper, Batty also scored four goals during the season, three penalties and one from open play in a match versus Wivenhoe Town.[4] His performances also won him the club's Player of the Year award.[2] Playing in the Conference for the 1992/93 season, Batty made 39 appearances as the Cards consolidated their position with an eighth-place finish.[3][5] He continued to be a first team regular over the following three seasons, in which Woking challenged for promotion to the Football League with a third-place and two runners-up finishes in the Conference.[5] Despite frustration in the league, Batty won four cups during those three seasons, collecting two FA Trophies and two Surrey Senior Cups.[2]

Batty made 32 appearances during the 1996/97 season, an eventful campaign in which he missed six weeks with a fractured hand,[6] won his third FA Trophy and helped the Cards take Premiership side Coventry City to a replay in the third round of the FA Cup.[7][8] After his third FA Trophy win, he said "the first one is the most special but I was delighted to keep a clean sheet for the first time at Wembley".[9] Batty also netted another goal during the season.[10] As a recognition of Batty's continued service, he was awarded a testimonial versus former club Fulham in August 1999.[11] Batty continued to play on until the end of the 1999/00 season, having seen his appearance-count diminish over the previous two seasons with the emergence of young understudy Darryl Flahavan.[3][12] In the summer of 2000, Batty stalled over signing a new one-year contract and was then released by manager Colin Lippiatt in a summer clearout.[2] Batty made 422 appearances and scored five goals during his nine years with Woking.[2]

Chesham United (loan)

Batty joined high-flying Isthmian League Premier Division side Chesham United on loan in March 2000.[13]

St Albans City

Batty signed at two-year deal at Isthmian League Premier Division side St Albans City in July 2000.[14] He made 12 appearances for the club during the early part of the 2000/01 season, his final outing coming in a 0-0 FA Cup second qualifying round draw with Baldock Town on 30 September.[15] Batty was transfer-listed the following month.[16]

Return to Maidenhead United

Batty returned to Maidenhead United for a spell during the 2000/01 season.[3]

Molesey

Batty joined Isthmian League Division Two club Molesey towards the end of the 2000/01 season. He was transfer-listed in February 2002.[17]

Walton & Hersham

Batty signed for Isthmian League Division One side Walton & Hersham in March 2002.[18] He departed the club in December 2003 and retired from playing.

International career

Batty's good form while with Woking saw him win caps for England Semi-Pro at international level.

Managerial career

Molesey

While with Molesey, Batty combined his playing duties with that of the assistant manager's role.[19]

Walton & Hersham

After the sacking of Matt Alexander in December 2002, Batty was named as caretaker manager.[18] He accepted the manager's job on a full-time basis in January 2003, before being sacked in December that year.[20]

Coaching career

Batty has held goalkeeper coaching roles at Woking, Fulham (first team, academy and ladies),[11] Chelsea (youth team and academy), Brentford,[21] Wycombe Wanderers,[21] Colchester United and Norwich City.[22] He holds FA Level 3 and UEFA B coaching badges.[22]

Personal life

Batty is the son of songwriter Steve Wolfe.[23] He moved with his parents to Portugal as a teenager.[4] Batty had a role in the 1992 BBC Screen One episode Born Kicking, playing the part of the goalkeeper.[24]

Honours

As a player

Woking

As an individual

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/player/119/laurence-batty.aspx
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Shocked Batty given his Cards". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 "ForaDeJogo.net - Laurence Batty (Laurence William Batty)". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brentford Official Matchday Magazine versus Exeter City 01/05/99. Blackheath: Morganprint. 1999. p. 19.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Football Club History Database - Woking". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Soccer Vauxhall Conference: Winning Rovers return for bench-sore Ellis and Wye". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Woking Football Club - History". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 White, Alex (2012). The Fulham F.C. Miscellany. London: The History Press. ISBN 978-0752465265.
  9. ↑ "Soccer: How was it for you?". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Woking Football Club - History - A Season To Remember - Page Four". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Batty's raring to go". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Latest News And Gossip". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Soccer: Chesham KO Gulls' unbeaten run". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Wye winging way back". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Basingstoke Town FC Online - The Original 100% Unofficial BTFC Fan Site". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "Lippiatt facing up to game of finders-keepers". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  17. ↑ http://www.thedarts.eu/2001-2002/bulletin30.pdf
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Swans in hands of new manager ex-goalkeeper Batty". getsurrey. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Sports Round-Up". Telegraph.co.uk. 15 April 2001. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Woking dare not lose six-pointer - Chobham News and Mail Online". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Coaching duo move to Wycombe". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Laurence Batty - Bed Head FC". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "Six Degrees of Chelsea Separation!". Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  24. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061566/?ref_=tt_cl_t5

External links