Sean Welsh among five leaving Partick Thistle

Former Partick Thistle captain Sean Welsh is among five players confirmed to be leaving the Firhill club this summer.

Ex-Liverpool forward David Amoo, Mark Ridgers and David Wilson are also moving on when their contracts expire, while Niall Keown is returning to his parent club Reading after a loan spell.

Welsh is the highest-profile departure, however, having made 110 appearances in five years following his move from Hibernian in 2012.

Partick manager Alan Archibald said: "Sean has been at the club for more than five years and has been a vital part of the squad throughout that time.

"He was instrumental in our promotion bid and was my captain for the first two seasons in the Premiership, playing a massive part in us securing a place in the top six last month.

"We are in a much better position than in previous years as we have the majority of this year's squad under contract for next season.

"With a number of those players in Sean's position, it means that there isn't the opportunity to offer Sean the contract he would want."

One player who is staying with Partick after their top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership is midfielder Gary Fraser.

He has not played since April 2016 due to a knee injury but has been given a contract extension which keeps him in Maryhill until January.

Archibald added: "Gary has had a horrendous time with injuries over the last two years and we want to give him the chance to prove his fitness and fight for his place in the team.

"We did the same with Sean two years ago and we will be hoping for similar results when it comes to Gary.

"At only 23, he has plenty of football ahead of him and we are hopeful he can put the last 18 months behind him and hit the ground running when we return for pre-season."