DORCHESTER Town chairman Eddie Mitchell has admitted to talks with Weymouth about a possible takeover but insists there is no offer on the table.

Mitchell has made no secret of his belief that the credit crunch gripping the nation could force the two clubs into a merger.

And although Mitchell says he has not made a bid for the Terras, he has made his feelings known to the Blue Square Premier outfit.

He said: “I haven’t made an offer but I am interested as I’m always looking at things. I’ve looked at where the club is and what it involves and I’d love to do it. We’ve made clear our interest, directly.

“People think I’m naïve but I feel it’s right for this level of football. I don’t want Dorchester supporters to worry.

“If we can sustain where we are that’s great but it’s looking increasingly difficult for both teams to do so. If both clubs went down the tubes it would be a disaster, so it’s better to have half a cake than no cake at all.

“I’d welcome Weymouth at our club. If a merger happened you’d try to merge everything – the names, colours and supporters. That’s how I think it will eventually go, it could happen in 10 years’ time or it could happen during this recession.

“It’s becoming harder each week at Dorchester and we don’t know how hard it will get. It makes so much sense to find a more tolerable situation for both clubs than to be where they are now financially.

“I’m a realist. I’m also probably naïve to what the fans have been through, however, three years ago we wouldn’t have been having this conversation at all but we could be in this economic downside for some time.

“I’m always open and I don’t just tell people what they want to hear, however, I’ve not made any offer.”

If no offer is made for the struggling Wessex Stadium outfit then Weymouth chairman Malcolm Curtis may have to act.

He told Echosport on November 4: “We are losing money and our biggest overhead, as I said recently, has two legs. And if we need to make cutbacks for the good of the business then we will have to do that. I would like to be in a position between the 25th and 30th of this month where we have something tangible on the table.”

Yesterday, Terras’ chief executive Gary Calder could only add the following: “There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to try and secure the future of the club and as soon as there are any updates we will let people know.”