Curle wields axe at Carlisle

Carlisle boss Keith Curle released eight players at Brunton Park and player/coach Paul Thirlwell will also be leaving the club.

Curle, who steered the Cumbrians nine points clear of the relegation zone after replacing Graham Kavanagh in September, has released out-of-contract players David Amoo, Stephen Elliott, Josh Gillies, Sean O'Hanlon, Matt Robson and David Symington. The 51-year-old former Notts County manager has also told under-contract players Troy Archibald-Henville, Mark Beck, Gary Dicker, Anthony Griffith, Danny Kearns, Courtney Meppen-Walter, Billy Paynter and Antony Sweeney that they have no future at the club. Curle, who told each player personally of his decision, said: "It's a part of the job most managers don't like and I'm no different. "You've got to do it with a level of honesty. You try and leave the players with a positive if they aren't being offered anything, and that's to tell them to go out there and prove you wrong. "There are players here who have good ability, but I question whether they need it enough." Thirlwell will end his eight-and-a-half year stay with the club. The 36-year-old joined from Derby, initially on loan, in 2006 and has made over 160 appearances. Curle added on the club's official website: "I haven't re-engaged his playing contract but I think it's acknowledged that he's been a fantastic servant for this football club. "He has gained a lot of experience as a player-coach, with having a foot in both camps, and he has handled that really well. "He's been able to see first hand how managers work and I think now is an opportunity for him to take that further. "I think he's ready for that, because he is a very professional individual, and I wish him well as he moves on." Curle has made offers to loan pair David Atkinson and Jason Kennedy, who have returned to respective parent clubs Middlesbrough and Bradford to decide on their futures. Goalkeeper Mark Gillespie and Brad Potts have been offered new deals, while striker Derek Asamoah and defender Nathan Buddle have been handed short-term contracts. Patrick Brough, Kyle Dempsey, Danny Grainger, Dan Hanford, Connor Hammell, Steven Rigg and Charlie Wyke are under contract for another season and loan players Paul Corry, Jeffrey Monkana and Matt Young have left the club.