JASON Bowen last night committed himself to Newport County for another season just as the club line up a cheeky bid to tempt former Wales star Nathan Blake to Spytty Park.

Bowen was instrumental in County's Nationwide South survival last season and completely turned fans round after a shaky start.

Manager John Cornforth describes Bowen as "the best player in the division," and he proved to be one of the most committed players of the last campaign, missing only one league match all season.

Meanwhile, fellow former Cardiff City hero Blake has been released by Leicester City after a season punctuated by injuries and a loan spell at Leeds.

And County have opened the door for the 33-year-old who grew up in Ringland and now lives in Abergavenny.

Cornforth knows the player well, they were fierce but friendly rivals when he was playing with Swansea and Blake at Cardiff, and he knows that the hitman would bring vast experience and a knack of scoring goals that would go down a bomb in the Nationwide South.

Blake would not be drawn on such a move and whether or not he would be prepared to drop down the divisions, insisting he has not yet decided where his future lies.

"I have got some irons in the fire," Blake, who has 27 Wales caps, told the Argus, "but I am taking a break for a few weeks with my family and will look at my options when I come back.

"It would not be right to talk about anything just now though."

Blake has enjoyed a successful career at the very top level with 167 goals from more than 400 games with eight different league clubs.

He started out as a County youth product then went to Chelsea before moving to Cardiff in 1990. Sheffield United followed, then Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves racking up more than £7.5milion in transfer fees.

He moved to Leicester at the start of the 2004-05 season but went on loan to Leeds in January, where a torn hamstring ruined his season.