Stevenage have announced their retained list, with former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Matt Phillips one of seven players set to leave the club.
The Boro are one of the last teams to reveal who will be remaining in Hertfordshire next season, perhaps due to their later finish after competing in the play-offs.
However, after losing against Stockport County last week, their status in League One was confirmed for next season.
That left the Boro in a position to reveal which players will be remaining at Stevenage for the 26/27 campaign.
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Jordan Roberts will be departing Stevenage when his contract expires, after four seasons at the Boro. He has fallen agonisingly shy of a double century of appearances in Hertfordshire, scoring 25 times and providing 10 assists. He was a big part of the side which won the League Two title, and has stepped up to the third tier with ease, playing 41 times, including both play-off matches, this term.
Another member of the old guard, centre-half Dan Sweeney, also departs after his opportunities became limited in the most recent campaign. Given how solid Boro’s defence has been this season, with Carl Piergianni and Charlie Goode among the best players in the division, Sweeny found it increasingly difficult to break into that defence. The released pair have plenty of experience at this level, so would be a smart piece of business for a third-tier outfit in the coming weeks.
Goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond has been released, joining his brother Luca Ashby-Hammond as a free agent, after he was let go by Plymouth Argyle. Former Baggies midfielder Phillips also has no future at the club, after joining on a short-term contract earlier this year. Beryly Lubala, Tyreece Simpson, Mathaeus Roberts and Ellis Bates round off the list of players who have been confirmed as leaving the club when their contracts expire next month.
Two Stevenage Players ‘In Discussions’
The immediate future of two key Stevenage players remains in the balance. Harvey White and Charlie Goode are both out of contract at the Lamex Stadium, but the club remain in discussions with both parties. Keeping hold of the duo would be a real statement of intent, but interest is likely to be high in both players given their respective campaigns.
Goode formed part of that excellent defensive partnership, with only eventual champions Lincoln City conceding fewer goals. For his part in Stevenage’s overachievement in reaching the play-offs, he made the League One Team of the Season. Meanwhile, former Tottenham Hotspur and England youth international White had an incredible campaign, and he won’t have any shortage of offers available this summer.