MARK Fish insisted today that he had not rejected Wanderers' offer of a new contract but had merely asked for more time to consider his future.

The South African defender, who has been offered a three-year extension to his current deal which runs out at the end of this season, explained: "I just want to see where the club is going.

"If I'm going to play football I want to play at the highest level. I've always said I want to play in the Premiership and I would be happy if that was with Bolton. But, for now, I would like to see how things develop over the next few weeks.

"I want to see how the team is progressing.

"If they want to take that as me rejecting the contract, then that's up to them but it's not a definite rejection as far as I am concerned."

Fish's agent, Gary Blumberg, met Wanderers' officials on Tuesday and is understood to have said his client would not be signing the new deal. He was then told the offer was being withdrawn.

Sam Allardyce is understood to have been bitterly disappointed to learn of the development after believing he had reached an agreement with the player a month ago.

Fish had said he was considering quitting football altogether to pursue a business venture in South Africa but he now appears to have decided to stay in the game. Whether that will be at Bolton remains to be seen.

For now, despite the revival of speculation linking him with Charlton Athletic, the Reebok favourite is concentrating on helping Wanderers maintain their impressive start to the season. He hopes to keep his place for tomorrow's game at Stockport, where Allardyce will be without the services of Dean Holdsworth and will give a late fitness test to skipper Gudni Bergsson, who missed Tuesday' night's scoreless draw against Nottingham Forest with a hamstring problem.

"We created enough chances the other night to get a result," Fish said, "and we should be going to Stockport with confidence. But they have been something of a bogy team for us in the last two years so we know it could be a tough game."

If Bergsson is fit to return, Allardyce could be spoiled for choice with the versatile Ian Marshall having excelled at the back in recent games and having been elevated to captain for the Forest game.