TOWN director Jeremy Wray has quashed rumours of a January move for top scorer Charlie Austin, insisting the highly-rated striker is going nowhere just yet.

Millwall had a £600,000 transfer deadline day bid rejected for the 21-year-old back in the summer and still retain an interest, while the Advertiser understands Championship high-flyers Queens Park Rangers are also very keen on Austin, who has scored nine goals this campaign.

But Wray says speculation that the former Poole Town man is on his way at the turn of the year is well wide of the mark.

“We are fully aware that there are a lot of clubs interested in Charlie,” he told the Advertiser. “They wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t.

“Millwall are interested, there is no doubt about that. But quite simply he is just not for sale, and they couldn’t afford him anyway.

“The fact he has improved so much, is young, English and scoring goals means he will attract further interest.

“We value Charlie very highly and he has two years left to run on his contract, but he is not going anywhere and certainly not in January.

“We have no intention of selling him.”

Austin burst onto the Football League scene last season having been plucked from a building site and part-time football, and went on to score 20 goals in his maiden campaign.

Wray explained that the rookie’s form this term has given him a pleasant surprise, and that Town’s management team are hoping to nurture his unquestionable talent in much the same way they did for Austin’s prolific predecessor.

“Personally, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had dipped a little this year,” admitted the director.

“Last season he was running on adrenaline and it would have been understandable if he had taken a while to get going this time.

“But he is now a better all-round player than he was last season - he is a proper centre-forward.

“Charlie has a swagger about him this season that he knows he belongs.

“He will go all the way because he has every facet of the game - I’ve no doubt about that.

“And we would never dent his progress as we have said all along.

“But Charlie just has to look at the way Coxy (Simon Cox) was treated to know he can trust us and know we will always do the best by him.

“It is better to play regularly and score regularly for us, and be number one at the club rather than go somewhere else right now where he may be slightly down the pecking order.”