CHIPPENHAM Town were this week facing a fight to hold onto two of their players following bids for Tom Gould and Matt Rawlins while manager Tommy Saunders admitted he had failed in an attempt to bring back a crowd favourite.

Gould was the subject of a £5,000 bid from Dr Martens Premier Division rivals Bath City on Monday and a clause in his contract allows him to talk to them.

Saunders admitted there had also been a lot of interest in Rawlins, most notably from Yate, although he expected him to stay at the club.

He also revealed that he had had a bid for Bath City strike Steve Tweddle turned down last week.

Gould was informed of the bid for his services on Monday morning and trained at Hardenhuish Park that evening.

He said: "It came as a big surprise to me to be honest and I was just concentrating on getting fit really.

"I didn't believe it at first when I was told but once it was explained to me I knew it was serious. I spoke to Tommy and Adie before training and they made it clear to me that they want me to stay.

He added: "I have not really had time to consider it and had not even had a chance to speak to my dad about it.

"This is the first time I have ever had to think about anything like this. I went from Bath to Team Bath because of the full time football and education and I then chose Chippenham because I was most impressed by them.

"I have only just signed a two-year contract this summer and am dead happy with everything here."

He said he would need to think about the options in front of him but was still trying to concentrate on improving his fitness for the new season as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Saunders made it clear where he stood on all three potential transfers.

Saunders said: "Tom Gould has an agreement in his contract that allows any club making a bid of £5,000 or over to speak to him. We have agreed to let him speak to Bath but I've told him how much we want him to stay and it's up to him now."

Saunders said: "As far as I'm concerned Matt won't be going anywhere at the end of the day. Everybody has a price and Yate were not a million miles away from that but we don't want to sell him.

"He's done well in pre-season but I still think his best position is in midfield. Matt might not agree with that but I spoke to him at training on Monday and told him how much we want him to stay and he is a real fans' favourite here.

"I made a move to bring Steve Tweddle back to Hardenhuish from Bath City but they turned it down. There he is just another player but at Chippenham the fans love him. I thought as they had five strikers they might let him go but it wasn't to be."