SUNDERLAND chairman Bob Murray watched the victory against Hull, but Town insist there has been no further bid for Jonathan Stead.
Mr Murray was in the directors box as 20-year-old Stead - subject of an £800,000 bid from the Stadium of Light three weeks ago - set Town on the road to a 3-1 win with his 12th goal of the season.
After the match, Mr Murray - who used to live in Birkby - was a guest in the boardroom and then in manager Peter Jackson's office.
His presence suggests the Black Cats may not have given up hope of landing the talented striker, especially as Mr Murray is understood to conduct the bulk of talks in his club's transfer business.
"Sunderland made a bid which was rejected three weeks ago and that's been it," said Jackson. "No other clubs have been in contact."
Town's chief executive Andrew Watson added:
"We never once discussed Jonathan Stead. Mr Murray never mentioned him and we certainly didn't because we have no desire to sell him."
Top clubs with scouts at the game were: Manchester United, Everton, Southampton, Villa, Portsmouth, Fulham, Blackburn, Newcastle, Manchester City, Leeds, Liverpool and Celtic.
Others were West Ham, Rotherham, Cardiff, Forest, West Brom, Ipswich, Stoke, Northampton, Oxford, Mansfield, Yeovil and Scunthorpe.
* Town wore black armbands as a mark of respect for stadium chief executive Kevin Collinge, who died last week.
Match Report
