Janos Kovacs and Sean Canham have been transfer listed by the Bulls.
The club have opted to release Ryan Valentine, Aidan Thomas, Sam Gwynne, Sam Malsom, Adrian Patulea, Dan Stratford, and Richard Rose. Six of the seven were not unexpected, but the addition of Rose to the list will raise eyebrows amongst some supporters.
For both Kovacs and Canham it has been a frustrating season after signing two year deals last summer. Canham started only nine games all season and spent three months with Kidderminster, while Kovacs started only 25 of 53 games as his uncompromising style failed to suit the Bulls passing game.
In Rose and Gwynne the Bulls lose their two longest serving players. Gwynne made his Bulls debut over five years ago but managed only 81 appearances over the years when a loan spell away from the club would have probably helped his development. Rose started three quarters of the games in this season just past, but his versatility saw him struggle for regular games in a single position. He has racked up 193 games in his five years at the club.
The departures of Malsom and Thomas are less surprising. Youth team graduate Thomas was a late addition to the squad after a lengthy trial under Simon Davey but managed only a pair of sub appearances in the FA Cup. Malsom started only one game, and spent most of the season out on loan in Conf North.
Valentine's departure was already known last week, with the full back axed after missing a large chunk of the season through injury, while Adrian Patulea impressed few with his half a dozen substitute appearances since arriving on a short term deal. Stratford's departure comes after four solid months of bench warming. His last appearance on the pitch was in mid-January, and his last start back in September, and while he was a popular member of the squad he failed to make a significant impression on the fans in the little time he had.
The club finally acknowledge that contract talks are ongoing with Rob Purdie, while they confirm that Tyler Weir has signed a new one year deal.