Birchall has had a transfer request rejected

Dover have rejected a bid from Newport County for striker Adam Birchall, chairman Jim Parmenter revealed.

And the Athletic chief said the 26-year-old, who scored 45 goals last season, would only leave for a Football League club.

He told the club website: "Newport's bid was an insult, not just to the club but to Adam too.

"I've got an agreement with Adam that if a league club comes in we'll talk seriously if the offer's reasonable."

The club have turned down a transfer request from Birchall, who still has two years left on his contract.

Parmenter told BBC Radio Kent: "No league club has come in for Adam. Maybe he feels this could be his last chance. I specifically don't include non-league clubs and last time I looked Newport were a non-league club."

Many Gillingham and Dover fans have suggested that Birchall could be on his way to the Gills.

The Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler has stated that his next target is a striker, and he signed Birchall when he was Dover manager.

But when asked whether he would sell Birchall to Gillingham, Parmenter answered: "Over my dead body."

Maybe we should join the French league Dover chairman, Jim Parmenter

Meanwhile the Dover chairman also expressed his disappointment that the club have not been given a local derby at Christmas in the Blue Square Bet South fixtures that were issued this week.

With five clubs from Kent or Metropolitan Kent in the league, Dover are the one to miss out as they will play Eastbourne Borough home and away over the Christmas period.

He said: "People sometimes look at the map, along the coast, and don't take into account the road system."

"It's about two and a half hours for us to Eastbourne which is quite a long journey for a Christmas derby. We tend to get lumped with Eastbourne or Lewes or whoever is on the south coast.

"Maybe we should join the French league," he said.

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