Reed stays loyal (From Dorset Echo)

Reed stays loyal

9:18am Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Club News By Adam Summers

STEPHEN Reed’s decision to turn down Dorchester Town was made out of loyalty to Brendon King and George Rolls.

Despite having agreed terms with the Magpies over the weekend, the 26-year-old pulled the plug on the switch late on Monday night after holding final talks with the Weymouth duo.

King has always been confident Reed would stay but the midfielder has left the door ajar for the deal with Dorchester to possibly be resurrected in the summer.

Speaking to Echosport prior to last night’s fantastic 2-1 victory at Stourbridge, Reed said: “It was a very tempting offer. Dorchester are in the league above and the fact I have not got many more years left in the game made it an appealing opportunity.

“However, Brendon and George have been fantastic to me and after speaking to them on Monday night, and getting my head around it all, I felt it was in my best interests to stay for the rest of the season.

“At the end of the day everyone at the club gave me another chance back in the summer and I feel I owe it to them, and particularly the fans, to see things out here.”

When questioned about his prospects beyond the end of the season, Reed added: “Brendon and George have made me feel like a special part of what they are trying to build here but the top priority at the moment is just to stay up – that is the main focus.

“After that who knows?

“There is talk of going full-time here next season and then there is always a possibility that Dorchester could come back in for me in the summer, so in terms of the future we will just have to see what happens.”

Meanwhile, King is in advanced talks with a mystery striker. The Terras’ boss said: “I do not want to mention any names at present but there is a chance a deal could be done in time for the home game against Cirencester Town on Saturday, as long as terms can be agreed.”

With Sam Malsom having joined Dorchester last night, King is clearly keen to bolster his ranks and has already tied up a loan move for James Coutts.

The Terras were hoping to have the AFC Totton midfielder available for last night’s clash at the War Memorial Athletic Ground but the paperwork did not go through in time.