Collins among seven players released, Hackett and O’Toole transfer-listed

Manager Chris Wilder told the players the news in face-to-face meetings at Sixfields on Monday morning.

Ian Morris is another not to be offered a new deal with the midfielder, who has missed virtually the whole season after dislocating a knee, deciding to move back to his native Ireland with his family to pursie a career outside of football.

The release of Lewis Hornby had already been announced, and also heading out of the exit door is Scotsman Ross Perry, while loan players Kaid Mohamed, Jimmy Gray and Diego De Girolamo will all return to their parent clubs.

Left-back Tom Newey and Billy Bodin will both be invited back in pre-season to prove their fitness, and may yet be offered deals, while no decision has been made on goalkeeper Shwan Jalal.

“It’s a tough part of the job for any manager, a tough part of the year, but we have to make professional decisions to take the club forward,” said Wilder.

“You have to make decisions as a manager and we thank all the players for their efforts. They’ve been good for me and I think we as a club have been good to them.

“We do have a lot of contact with these players, and you get to form relationships with them, so this is not an easy part of the job.”

Cobblers retained list

PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT FOR 2015/16

Brendon Moloney

Evan Horwood

Marc Richards

Zander Diamond

Lawson D’Ath

Jason Taylor

Ivan Toney

Joel Byrom

Ricky Holmes

Ryan Cresswell

Sam Warburton

Danny Clifton

PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT WHO HAVE BEEN MADE AVAILABLE FOR TRANSFER

John-Joe O’Toole

Chris Hackett

PLAYERS WHO ARE OUT OF CONTRACT AND NO DECISION HAS YET BEEN MADE

Shwan Jalal

PLAYERS WHO ARE OUT OF CONTRACT BUT DISCUSSIONS WILL BE HELD SUBJECT TO FITNESS

Billy Bodin

Tom Newey

PLAYERS NOT UNDER CONTRACT WHO WON’T BE OFFERED NEW TERMS

Matt Duke

Darren Carter

Lee Collins

Ben Tozer

Lewis Hornby

Ross Perry

Ian Morris

LOAN PLAYERS WHO RETURN TO THEIR PARENT CLUBS

James Gray

Diego De Girolamo

Kaid Mohamed