JOHN Fenty has branded Bury boss Kevin Blackwell's blast at Grimsby Town as "concerning" and "unfair".
The Town director has hit back at Blackwell's criticism of the Mariners over the handling of on-loan winger Marcus Marshall.
The Shakers' manager labelled Town's handling of the situation as "shoddy" and "underhand" after Bury recalled Marshall having accepted a bid for his services from Luton.
But Marshall is now back with the Mariners ahead of tomorrow's league game at Cambridge United, and will remain on loan from the League One club until the end of the season – as reported today at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/sport
Mr Fenty said: "It is quite concerning that he (Blackwell) attempts to bring both the FA and Grimsby Town Football Club into disrepute – making all sorts of accusations which are unfair and unfounded."
He added: "Where there is a long-term deal in place and where a player had already played for another club, he then can't play for a third club.
"In effect, if Luton had bought Marcus they would have had a player who wouldn't be able to play for them for six months.
"We know that it is a farcical rule, but at the end of the day it is a rule. FIFA, The FA, The Football League and the Football Conference have been residing over this for days and days and it has now met its conclusion.
"We will now draw a line under this matter."
On the 24-hour recall clause inserted into the winger's loan contract at Town, which was highlighted by Blackwell in his criticism of the Mariners' role in the transfer wrangle, Mr Fenty said: "Our chief executive told his Bury equivalent that effectively the 24-hour clause didn't need to be in there, because it was a long-term loan and the player could be recalled in any event.
"What they wanted to do was to safeguard an option to potentially transfer the player.
"Luton put a bid in for the player and thereafter, very surprisingly, Bury didn't make any overtures for us to show any interest.
"It was beyond this point that we received a phone call to say that the player had been recalled.
"Effectively they had received an offer for the player and terms had been agreed.
"They wouldn't divulge the club and we had to accept that at that stage.
"It turned out soon after that that Marcus didn't want to go to Luton and said that he wanted to stay at Grimsby.
"The deal had then fallen down - nothing to do with Grimsby Town.
"In doing so, he arguably turned down a lucrative deal – so we are led to believe.
"That is a credit to the player. He clearly knows what he wants and he didn't want to go there."
