Dundee manager Barry Smith has revealed the names of six players he has decided to release as he prepares for next season’s promotion push.
The Dark Blues boss has told Jake Hyde, Graham Bayne, Craig McKeown, Ross Chisholm, Mark Fotheringham and club captain Rhys Weston they will be moving on. Smith said he thanked them for everything they had done for the club.
However, Smith, who has offered new deals to the rest of the Dundee players, admitted it was difficult breaking the news to the six who are set to leave.
He said: ”It’s always tough telling players that their contracts won’t be renewed. All of them have played their part in some way this season and they will leave the club with our best wishes.
”The others have all been offered deals so it would be nice to think we can keep the nucleus of our squad together for next season.”
Dundee have slumped to three consecutive defeats in recent weeks and still need a point from Saturday’s game against Livingston to ensure they finish the season in second place in the league ahead of Falkirk.
But Smith insists that considering they only just survived the agony of administration last year, this campaign can still be regarded as a success.
Weston is looking to kick-start his career in Iceland while Fotheringham, who was on a short-term deal, is understood to have an offer from elsewhere.