Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has rejected an approach from Barnsley to speak with manager Russell Slade over the vacant manager's job at Oakwell.
Orient were contacted by the Tykes this afternoon, but Hearn is determined to keep hold of Slade, who took the npower League One club to within one point of the play-offs this season.
Hearn told the club's official website www.leytonorient.com: "Barnsley asked us for permission to speak to Russ, but we have declined them.
"Russ is vitally important to this football club and after the season we have just had, we sat down last week and shook hands on a new contract for him.
"We have a job to do here next season and we want Russ at the helm so our response to Barnsley was that they would need to look elsewhere for their next manager."
