Mr Brennan, who has worked at the supermarket for nine years, was confronted by a robber wearing a black balaclava as he entered the delivery bay door at 5.30am, but fought back. He said: "We grappled with each other. Then he punched me in the mouth and I punched him back. "I was trying to get away, but he threw me through the doors at the top of the stairs leading to the cash office and at that point he called for help." Mr Brennan shouted to the store manager for help, but another man approached carrying a sawn-off shotgun, hit Mr Brennan with the handle of a shopping trolley and punched his nose. With blood pouring from his nose and his head pounding from the blow with the metal bar, Mr Brennan was bundled into the canteen with the other hostages where his hands and feet were bound together. The hostages were forced to wait until the keyholder -- a woman of 46 -- turned up at 6.25am. The men grabbed Mr Brennan and flung him across the cash office floor. He said: "When one of them pointed at me and shouted 'It's him we want' they meant it was me they wanted to shoot.

"I'm positive they would have shot me if they weren't able to get the money. "I thought 'maybe I'll be seeing you soon mum', because she died a year ago on Saturday." Fortunately for Mr Brennan, the men were able to get into the safe and made off on motorbikes with 30,000. The hostages were discovered about five minutes later by fellow worker Linda Coleman and the alarm was raised. Mr Brennan, who needed hospital treatment for mild concussion, intends to go back to work tomorrow (January 26). The only sign of the attack is the teeth marks on his hand where he punched the attacker in the mouth. He added: "Thinking about it, fighting back was a silly thing to do, but the policeman who came to speak to me said I was defending myself, which is natural."

Call Crimestoppers on 0800 or Banbury CID on with information.

Bike clues in hunt for robbers

Det Insp Phil Murphy, of Banbury CID, added: "It's possible that these men had been to view the layout and entrances to the store before the raid. It's also possible these two bikes have been dumped, maybe some distance away, If anyone believes they have seen or found a motorbike then they should get in touch." Anyone with information should call police on or Crimestoppers on 0800 .

DID YOU SEE ANYONE SUSPICIOUS IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE ROBBERY

Det Insp Phil Murphy, of Thames Valley Police, said: "These men are obviously willing to use the threat of violence and it is important we track them down. "It is possible that these men had been to view the layout and entrances to the store before the raid and therefore I would urge anyone from Chipping Norton to think if they saw any suspicious people or vehicles, particularly motorbikes, in the area."

Masked raiders strike again in county

All sounds horribly familiar...

The robbery happened almost a month after four balaclava-clad men subjected workers at a Co-op store in Chipping Norton to a similar ordeal. No-one has been arrested over that incident and Mr Fisher said detectives were "keeping an open mind" about whether there was a link.

After Saturday's raid, the robbers made off through a fire exit at the rear of the store, in the direction of Wastie's Garage, which is based in a yard on land behind the Esso garage forecourt. Officers cordoned off the forecourt and the store remained closed until about 11am as forensics experts scoured the scene. Mr Fisher said tracks were discovered on land surrounding the garage forecourt and store, indicating that the robbers might have made off on motorbikes. However, he said it was possible they used a car to get away from the store, which is on the eastbound side of the A40 Oxford Road on the outskirts of Eynsham. He said: "All the suspects wore balaclavas, all were males and they were all wearing dark clothing. "Three had rucksacks which were very distinctive -- massive hiking-style bags. We're very keen to speak to anyone who was in this area between 5am and 6.15am." A Tesco spokesman said: "We are working closely with police. The staff involved were quite shaken, but thankfully no-one was seriously hurt."

On January 23, four balaclava-clad robbers with a sawn-off shotgun seized 12 shop workers as they arrived at the Co-op store in High Street, Chipping Norton, before tying them up and keeping them hostage for an hour until the store's safe key holder arrived. The men, who police believe may have made off on motorbikes, got away with 30,000 shortly after 6.30am. A staff member suffered a graze to his head after being hit by the gun or a baseball bat.

10,000 Reward offered for Co-Op robbery