Piercewright confirms he has made two further offers to take control of Kettering Town

Speaking to both the Northants Telegraph and the Poppycast Podcast, former defender and league title winner Brad Piercewright reiterated his desire to take over the club that gave him the ‘best years in football’, stating that two further offers have been made to current owner George Akhtar.

Piercewright and fellow consortium member Craig Norman also explained that communications have all but completely broken down – with Piercewright finding himself ‘blocked’ by Akhtar, whilst Norman’s last phone call interaction dates back to August 17.

In essence, two improved figures in the region of £560,000 to £600,000 haven been offered, with an additional promotion bonus also on the table, and the opportunity for Akhtar to remain as a minority shareholder at the club.

Fans will also be cut into the deal with a place on the board for a supporter liaison.

But Piercewright is adamant that he won’t wait around forever, placing a deadline of Friday, September 11, to hear back from the club.

After the initial bid had sparked a frenzy of activity at the club, including the installation of new floodlights and the reinstating of an Under-18s squad, a number of significant resignations from volunteers has precipitated in an air of unrest settling in over a deeply divided fan base.

Speaking on the podcast Piercewright said: “There are now many, many people who are involved in wanting a change, whether that is a takeover, whether that is a partnership with George.

“I'm talking previous directors, current directors, board members, previous MD, previous FDS, community members, staff, volunteers who aren't there now - all want the best intentions for the club just like we have and probably just like George does.

“I'm here really to hold an olive branch out to George because I can't speak to him - let's have a conversation because I have now put another two bids into the club.

“I would really like to explore the option with George remaining as a co-chairman with Norms (Craig Norman). Because I don't need to be classed as a chairman, I just want to be in the background pumping money.

“If I'm dedicating and pumping my own personal money into the club, which I'm prepared to do, I feel I need to have proper skin in the game.

"And that skin in the game is a majority shareholding with George having a minority share whilst being on the top table with us, driving it forward and the supporters having a seat on the board and actually owning shares in the club."

Some will feel that it is highly unconventional and even insensitive for a consortium to be making such bids known in the public domain, but Piercewright feels that he had no other option than to go public.

“Ultimately the club is not a business, it is a institution,” he said. “It is a supporters club. Someone's got to own it. Of course they do. But it's, I feel it's in the public interest and it's in the supporters interest that things like this are public.

"Some things can stay private, of course they can. But we unfortunately we have got no other avenues.

"Another offer like this, I don't believe, will ever come again if I'm honest. It's the biggest offer the club's ever had.

"It's never been brought for what we've put on the table and it will never have the level of investment I believe that it's going to have from myself and other members.”

Both Piercewright and Norman were keen to reiterate that fans who maybe positive towards any potential takeover, should not lash out against the current management.

“Look, we're not asking fans to cause mayhem - that's never come from us,” said Piercewright. “ In fact, I'll take you back to probably one of the last statements that we made, which was ‘don't do that’.

"Go and support the club, buy season tickets - that's the last thing that I put out there.”

“I've got a lot of empathy for George with the pressure and the stress that he must be going through with this, or even without me being involved and knocking on the door in May with an offer.

"I imagine that he's doing everything he can to make sure that the club is successful and I applaud him for that.”

Since hanging up his boots, Piercewright has become a successful business owner, working alongside other Northamptonshire sportsman including former Northampton Saints captain Dylan Hartley and former Northampton Town defender Lee Culkin – the latter who still works alongside Piercewright and could be called upon should the consortium be successful in a takeover.

He said that the opportunity was one made with the heart and not the head and paying good money for the club now was a far better option than waiting for a crisis situation where he could step in.

“I don't want to see the club lose money,” said Piercewright. “I don't want to see the administration points deductions just to get the club for next to nothing. I don't see the value in that.

“Everyone wants the best for the club. And like I said, if George has got a huge amount of money and he can drive it forward, then pick up the phone and just tell me I'm ‘OK’ and I'm going to pump all this money.

"I will go away and watch the club from a far and wish them all the best. But I'm just not seeing that at the minute.”