Buchanan one of eight Cobblers players released, Taylor one of three transfer-listed

A key member of the title-winning team of 2015/16, Buchanan was told in a meeting with Curle on Monday that he will not be offered a new deal and that his four-year stint at Sixfields is over.

Midfielder Sam Foley, one of the team's most consistent performers this season, has also been released, along with Dean Bowditch, Jack Bridge, Luke Coddington and Shay Facey, as well as homegrown academy products James Goff and Joe Iaciofano.

The only out-of-contract player to be offered a new deal is Daniel Powell, while John-Joe O'Toole must decide whether or not to take up a new deal option arising from his existing contract.

As well as the players being released, former Aberdeen central defender Taylor has been made available for transfer, along with Joe Bunney and Billy Waters - the latter two having spent much of last season on loan at Rochdale and Cheltenham Town respectively.

All three still have one year remaining on their current Cobblers contracts.

Loan players Joe Powell, Timi Elsnik, Marvin Sordell, Charlie Goode and George Cox have all returned to their parent clubs.

The cull of the current squad means that David Cornell, Sam Hoskins, Shaun McWilliams, Junior Morias, Aaron Pierre, Jordan Turnbull and Andy Williams are the only senior players contracted for next season.

They are joined by teenagers Bradley Lashley, Ryan Hughes, Camron McWilliams, Jack Newell, Scott Pollock, Morgan Roberts, Sean Whaler and Jay Williams.

Buchanan's departure brings to an end a four-year stay at the club, with the left-back making a total of 185 starts and two substitute appearances in the claret and white.

He played every game of the 2015/16 season, and missed just one (due to suspension) the following season.

The player, who turns 33 today (Monday), was signed by Chris Wilder from Preston North End in the summer of 2015, and he made 44 appearances this season.

Foley, who is 32, departs after a two-year stay in which time he made 55 starts and 13 substitute appearances, scoring five goals.

Fellow Justin Edinburgh signing Bowditch has also spent two years with Town, but struggled to nail down a regular place in the team, making just 18 starts and 22 substitute outings, netting three goals - all of which came since last December.

Facey was a by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink selection, signing for an unsiclosed fee from Manchester City in the 2018 January transfer window.

The 24-year-old made 38 starts and four substitute appearances in his 18 months with the club, scoring one goal.

Bridge was also brought into the club by Hasselbaink in January, 2018, after impressing in a trial spell.

The 23-year-old creative midfielder made 20 starts for the club in all, and came off the bench 16 times, scoring three goals.

Luke Coddington, signed by Edinburgh in August, 2017, made just two first team appearances for Town - both in his first week at the club.

After Edinburgh's sacking, Coddington has been overlooked by successive managers in Hasselbaink, Dean Austin and Curle, with his only action being short loan spells at Wrexham and Guiseley.

Fellow goalkeeper Goff was handed a two-year contract in the summer of 2017 after coming through the academy, but never made a first team appearances.

Iaciofano is another academy graduate who signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2016, but he found first team appearances desperately hard to come by, regularly being sent out on loan to non-League clubs.

Iaciofano did play for the first team, but his appearances were restricted to five late outings as a substitute.