STANLEY have rejected an offer for a Reds player as chief executive Rob Heys said they are determined to keep the current squad together.

A League Two club have made a bid - with the Crown Ground club remaining tight lipped about which player it is for - but Heys said the amount offered was way off the mark.

"A fellow League Two club expressed an interest in one of our players but it nowhere near met our valuation of the player," said Heys.

"We are determined to keep this squad together. They have done so well this season that no one at the club wants the team to be broken up."

And non executive chairman Ilyas Khan, who saved the club from a winding up order in November by paying the majority of a £308,000 tax bill and has donated further money since, said: "We have had a bid but any decision on player transfers is down to the manager John Coleman.

"We do not need to sell and it’s John Coleman’s decision if he sells, if he believes it is best for the player or the club, or if the player decides he wants to leave. We don’t have to sell for financial purposes no matter what the bid is."

Khan will be at tomorrow’s match against Rotherham, which the Reds at the moment are confident will go ahead, as there is a meeting to discuss the finances and goings-on at the club.

Stanley have been braced for interest during the January transfer window as their young squad has taken the Reds to within three points of the play-offs.

And boss Coleman (pictured) echoed the sentiment of keeping the 20-strong squad together as he believes his strikers could hit 30 goals for the season with the Reds - and make an impact in the top placings in the table.

Talks are still ongoing with front men Michael Symes and Bobby Grant about new contracts with their deals up at the end of the season and Coleman hopes both will sign despite Symes saying he will wait until the end of the month.

"I will be having further talks next week," said the Reds boss. "They are both doing well and it works both ways as, if they do well, the club is also doing well.

"I would like to see both of them get to 30 goals for the season," said Coleman with Symes on 13 and Grant on 12.

"That was always what I aimed for as a player and, if you play most of the 46 league games and then the cup ones, then you should get towards the late 20s.

"I know both of them come off every game disappointed if they haven’t scored and that’s the mentality you want at the club.

"We do though need goals from all over as sometimes the players you rely on to get them, they can dry up so we need everyone to chip in."

Coleman - whose squad is limited to 20 as they owe the Professional Footballers Association £50,000 - had hoped to take the players away this week as both games, at Lincoln on Saturday and the FA Cup home clash with Gillingham on Tuesday, were postponed. But he wasn’t able to and admitted it’s been a nightmare few weeks with the weather.

"We were fortunate that we trained at Liverpool Academy on Tuesday so that helped us get a decent session in. We don’t know where we will be from one day to the next though."

The only good thing is that his players haven’t picked up new injuries with Chris Turner (ankle) getting a week’s training under his belt.

"It’s good to have him back," continued Coleman. "We need as many bodies as possible as the fixtures are going to pile up with the postponements. But you have also to be careful with the players in the conditions."

The club are desperate that the League Two game against the third placed Millers will go-ahead with the Reds last playing on December 28.

"Everyone at the club seems quite confident," said Coleman. "And if we get tomorrow on, you would fancy that Tuesday’s FA¿Cup game against Gillingham will go ahead. It is ‘Home-games R Us’ in January.

"Rotherham are doing well and have a good management team and we know it will be a tough task.

"We know we should have got something out of the game at their place on the opening day of the season and some of the lads are still upset about that and want to put it right.

"It is a big time for us as anyone now who puts a run together is not only going for the play-offs but could get in the automatic promotion places and we have got to make sure we hang on to teams like Rotherham’s coat tails and see if we can then make a push.

"We know we only having 20 players due to the embargo so, though, it is dependent on injuries and suspensions. I am still hoping the embargo will be lifted."

Luke Joyce is suspended for tomorrow after picking up five bookings although, after December 31, players will only face suspension now if they get a red card or if they pick up 10 yellow cards before 2 April.

STANLEY RE-ARRANGED GAMES

  • Tues 29 Jan: Gillingham (H) FA Cup, 7.45pm
  • Tues 2 Feb: Barnet (H) Leagye, 7.45pm
  • Tue 9 Feb: Macclesfield (H) League, 7.45pm
  • Tue 16 Feb: Lincoln (A) League, 7.45pm