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 caused controversy by requiring the club's assistant manager to be registered as a player, resulting in David Preece leaving due to his retirement from playing. Additionally, Bateson noted that the club couldn't afford to retain Preece on their payroll.