OXFORD United are releasing eight of their ten second-year trainees.

The club made the decision at the start of this week, telling goalkeeper Ian Simms and outfield players Jon Townsend, Ross Weatherstone, Aaron Brennan, Ollie Bennett, Lee Nix, Ben Henshaw and Alex Davies that they will not be offered professional contracts.

Those who remain are Jon Shepheard, who can play at centre back or left back, on whom no decision has yet been made, and midfielder Andrew Richards, who has been offered a three-month contract at the start of next season in which to try to prove himself. Richards missed three months this season through illness.

Continued uncertainty over the future of the club and the fact that first-year trainees Sam Ricketts and Dean Whitehead are showing great promise, is thought to be behind the decision to let so many of the second-years go.

Meanwhile, United will be taking on seven local boys as first-year trainees in July. Three from Oxford - Chris Hackett, Kelvin McIntosh and Jamie Brookes - are joined by Simon King (Witney), Phil Wilson (Abingdon), Brynley Spence (Thame) and Jordan Holder (Bicester). The only two from outside the county are Andrew Newton and Brynmore Jones from Wales.

Hackett, McIntosh, Brookes and King have all played quite a few games for United's SE Counties League youth team already.

The nine to be taken on by United have been offered a three-year scholarship which replaces the current two-year trainee apprenticeship and will involve more college work and fewer menial jobs around the football ground.

Story date: Thursday 04 March

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