Five second year Apprentices have been offered professional terms with Burnley FC for the 2009/10 season.
Chris Anderson, Wes Fletcher, Alex-Ray Harvey, Chris Lynch and Nik Kudiersky, all 18, have been offered terms.
Full back Ben Hoskin, who has been sidelined all season with a long-term injury, will be offered a short-term contract this summer before a final decision is made.
The second year Apprentices who will leave the club this summer include defender Dan Brown, midfielder Dil Chagger, winger James Craggs and goalkeeper Stef Ritchie.
Commenting on Tuesday’s announcement, Martin Dobson, Director of Youth Development told the Clubs official website:
“I am delighted for the five players who have been offered contracts. They have worked particularly hard and deserve a contract. I have only been here since September and quite a few of these lads have been at this football club for many years. They know the club inside out, their loyalty is with this club and hopefully they will go on to have wonderful careers here.”
“Having said all that, and as pleased as we are at the five who have been offered contracts, we genuinely feel for those who haven’t. They have all put their hearts and souls into it and, having been in this situation myself as a young professional back at Bolton, I know it is not a nice feeling.
“We are acutely aware of their disappointment and I have to say it was a tough call. It is all about opinions and we deliberated for a long time on every player. They all have their positive aspects and we would all like to think they will be given another chance somewhere else.
“Certainly the club will do all we can to make that happen because each and every one has been an absolute credit to themselves, their parents and the football club and we wish them well in their future careers.”
