United axe five more players

9:20pm Tuesday 29th April 2008

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Darren Patterson has wielded the axe with five players being told they will not be offered a deal by Oxford United next season.

Strikers Craig McAllister and Justin Richards, and midfielders Jamie Hand, Carl Pettefer and Danny Rose, were all informed by the U's boss that he will not be keeping them on, as is the case with Rob Duffy and Michael Blackwood.

United are in talks with Eddie Anaclet and Matt Day to stay, and say they hope to discuss signing Matt Green on a permanent basis when his contract at Cardiff ends.

Joel Ledgister and Alex Jeannin, who return from loan spells at Kidderminster and Hayes & Yeading respectively, but are still under contract with Oxford for another year, remain on the transfer list.

Yemi Odubade, who has returned to top form, appears to be coming off the list - because his name is not included along with Ledgister and Jeannin.

Left back Michael Howard has returned to Morecambe after his loan spell with the U's, which ran until the end of this season, but the club hope to speak to him again over the summer.

Young striker Matty Taylor has also been offered a new contract.

McAllister, Richards and Rose didn't quite do enough in the final two months to earn the offer of a new deal, but it will surprise some fans that Hand, who at times combined well with Adam Murray in central midfield, is not in Patterson's plans.

United's manager hinted that part of his thinking was influenced by other players he has targeted and hopes to sign.

He said: "Some tough decisions have had to be made, made harder by the fact that they are all smashing lads.

"In the end it comes down to two factors, really.

"The financial restraint from the wage cap means we have to make money available to bring in new players. We finished the season strongly, but ninth place is eight places lower than we would like to be next time.

"But the biggest consideration has to be purely from a football point of view. I have targeted the players I would like to bring in and am excited by the prospects already.

"We will work hard all summer to bring the right players in.

"Hopefully Eddie, Matt Day and Matt Green will want to be a part of what we are trying to achieve."

Although it is no surprise that Duffy is not being offered anything, after Patterson made it clear some months ago he wanted hard-working strikers, the fall from grace of the Welshman, who has been on loan at Wrexham for the past three months, is still remarkable - plummeting in 12 months from the club's 21-goal top scorer to simply not wanted.