WARREN Byerley’s switch to Kettering Town is still hanging in the balance due to ‘a little matter with Weymouth FC’.

The 27-year-old striker attended a comedy night at Nene Park on Saturday but his expected departure has certainly been no laughing matter for the Terras, who are still waiting to hear how the player plans to repay a £2,000 loan for a recent knee operation.

Free agent Byerley has visited the Poppies three times over the past couple of weeks but he has still not put pen to paper.

Echosport has been trying to contact the wantaway forward over the past few days but he is continuing to lie low.

One man that is never short of a word or two though is George Rolls. The controversial former Weymouth chief, who is the acting chairman at Kettering, said: “Warren came up on Saturday and after going on without his phone, ended up coming back and staying here for a comedy evening.

“Fans obviously began asking who he was but as yet we are still waiting to put pen to paper due to a little matter with Weymouth FC.”

In his last conversation with Echosport, Byerley insisted he would not sign for the Poppies unless they repaid the loan in full. However, Rolls has already quashed that possibility but is open to paying it back through instalments.

He added: “We have had over 100 trialists at the club that really want to play for Ketter-ing Town and we have offered Warren a really good deal in the hope he is going to sign it. He has been down here three times and on the last two visits he has also brought his girlfriend.

“If he wasn’t serious it would not have gone this far. We want him and the new gaffer (John Beck) wants him.

“Strikers that have scored 25 goals a season at this level two years on the spin do not grow on trees and that is why we really want to push this deal over the line.

“We have made him an offer and he knows where we are.”

The potential switch is understood to be worth £600-a-week to Byerley but the four-figure sum he owes Weymouth continues to be the sticking point. When asked to comment further on the matter, Rolls went on to say: “It is something I am still hoping to sort out with Weymouth.

“I have put an offer to their vice-chairman Mark Coleman which I hope is acceptable, if it isn’t then we will have to see if we are prepared as a club to put x amount up front which Warren would have to then pay us back.

“Really the loan is none of my business as it is just a matter between Warren and Wey-mouth. From our point of view all we are interested in is gaining the services of arguably the best striker in the league and that is why we want to try and sort the matter out as soon as possible.”

Terras’ chairman Nigel Biddlecombe told shareholders at the club’s annual general meeting that whatever happens ‘the money put to assist Warren Byerley will not be lost to the football club one way or another’.

Coleman added yesterday: “George has been in contact and he said he would email over a payment plan proposal, which as of yet hasn’t got to us. Once we receive it, we will sit down as a board and discuss it, and see where we go from there.”