Record signing Lee Moore is stalling on putting pen to paper after being offered a new one-year deal by AFC Telford United boss Rob Smith.Moore, 22, signed an 18-month deal when he joined the Bucks from Tamworth for £5,000 in December 2006.
Smith wants to keep him on-board for next season’s Blue Square North campaign, but is not prepared to offer increased financial terms to do so.
Now the popular forward has chosen to go away and think about his next move before committing himself to the club for another year.
“Legally we’re not allowed to offer contracted players any less than they were on before, and we’ve offered him the same terms,” said Smith.
“We’ve got 101 players who want to come here, so he has to go away and decide if he wants to accept the deal or not.”
Smith has already revealed interest in the player from another un-named Blue Square North club, but remains confident of keeping hold of his man.
On another busy night for Smith, club captain Steve Jagielka and top scorer Matty Lewis - who were both on contract for the 2007/8 campaign - were retained on non-contract terms.
That means that, unlike contracted players, they will only receive payment for games where they are involved with the first team.
“We can’t afford to have everyone on contract and we do have to be careful,” added Smith. “We suffered last year with injuries and it did prove expensive for us.
“I wouldn’t say they were too happy, but they’ve accepted the terms.”
Striker Justin Marsden has been released after an injury-plagued campaign that saw him fail to make an impact.
“Justin’s had an unlucky two years with injuries but he’s been a pleasure to work with,” Smith added. “Every time he’s been nearly ready he’s had another freak injury and it’s been a real shame.”
The Bucks boss has further meetings with defenders Indy Khela and Vaughan Thomas and midfielders Gary Fitzpatrick and Jon Adams lined up for Monday, and will see wing-back Simon Forsdick on Tuesday.
By Chris Hudson
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