SAM PARKIN admits the good natured transfer 'stick' being dished out by his teammates is helping him to retain his sanity as he continues to be linked with numerous other clubs.

The 22-year-old striker's goals have made him a desirable target for managers with money to spend during the transfer window but his County Ground colleagues are doing all they can to ensure that the attention does not go to his head.

He said: "Every time my mobile phone goes one of the lads jokes it'll be a Premiership manager.

"I don't mind to be honest. It's all meant in the right way and stops you thinking too much about the situation."

Parkin is not oblivious to the speculation, though. Numerous text messages on his phone from strangers asking him not to go ensure that. He is just choosing to ignore it as best as possible.

Manager Andy King and chief executive Mark Devlin have already stated their respective desires to retain Parkin's services and the player himself is more than happy to stay.

Parkin said: "The crowd were chanting my name before the Bournemouth game which might have had something to do with the speculation. I don't know. Still, the fans have been fantastic with me from the start."

Players and their agents are sometimes accused of engineering a move behind the scenes but Parkin says that's not the case.

He said: "The club have had no official bids for me as I understand it and my representatives have not been approached or had talks with anyone either.

"I accept that as a young goalscorer you are going to attract attention. I suppose it's another part of my football education and you have to learn to handle it."

For now, Parkin is concentrating solely on helping Town into the play-offs.

He said: "We are in the play-off spots now and we want to stay there. I think it's fair to say that last year, some of the talk in January was about holiday destinations for the summer. You won't find that now.

"I watched the play-off final between QPR and Cardiff City last season and mentioned to my brother how great it would be to take part in it next time. We've a long way to go before that is a reality but everyone at the club is committed to making it happen."