In July 2002, he sparked controversy when deciding that the club's assistant manager had to be registered as a player, meaning that David Preece had to leave the club as he was retiring as a player, though Bateson admitted that the club could not afford to keep Preece on their payroll anyway.
In July 2002, Bateson sparked controversy by making the club's assistant manager register as a player, leading to David Preece's departure because he was retiring from playing. Furthermore, Bateson indicated that the club could not afford to keep Preece employed on their payroll.