Cook releases Reds quartet

Danny Coid, Liam Willis, Alan Burton and Kurtis Guthrie will not be offered new deals at Accrington when their current deals expire.

Right-back Coid, who missed the final six weeks of the season with a knee injury, will rejoin Stanley for pre-season training in a bid to prove his fitness. The rest of Paul Cook's squad are to be retained for next term's npower League Two campaign or are considering new contract offers. "This is always the hardest part of the season," said Cook in a club statement. "We'd like to thank the lads who are leaving us for all they have done for the club and wish them all the best for the future." Willis penned his first professional deal under Cook's predecessor John Coleman at the Crown Ground in January, but last month's 4-1 defeat at Cheltenham stands as the 18-year-old's only start for the club. Fellow defender Burton and forward Guthrie failed to establish themselves after making their Stanley debuts this season, with the former significantly hindered after undergoing a double hernia operation before Christmas.