Club Secretary Dave Laughlin said, “I am bitterly disappointed that the approach from Eastwood Town for Lee Stevenson has emerged into the public domain.

“At Belper Town, we believe that a player should only be made aware of an offer if and when the Board feels that its own valuation of the player has been met.

"As we have not had that discussion at Board level yet, my feeling is that through a press leakage from an unknown source, the premature announcement of Eastwood's interest could unsettle the player.”

“I would personally be very disappointed if Stevo leaves the Club but in any case the final decision is solely down to the Board, as the player is contracted to Belper Town for the foreseeable future”.

The Club’s joint management team of Andy Carney and Danny Hudson have previously stated that the club should not sell its best players if it harbours any ambitions of promotion.