ALLOA boss Jim Goodwin praised departing duo Graeme Holmes and Jason Marr for their contribution to the club, after it was announced that the captain and vice-captain would not be offered new contracts for next season.

The long-serving pair joined Lewis Wilson, Scott Hynd and Jamie Longworth in leaving the club, and the Wasps’ player-manager revealed he knows exactly how the five are feeling.

And he went on to thank each of them for their service to the club.

Goodwin told Advertiser Sport: “Homer and Jason have been great servants and they have stuck by the club through thick and thin.

"I know what they’ll be feeling because I experienced it when my time was up at St Mirren.

"It is a horrendous thing to have to go through. But the decisions are made in the best interests of the club, and that’s the game we play unfortunately.

"They will be missed around the club because they are great boys. That’s the hardest thing about making these decisions.

“We had meetings on Monday night and there were a lot of tough decisions made. But at the end of the day, that is football. It’s nothing personal.

"All the lads who are leaving have been great for the club and we want to thank them for everything they’ve done for us, and wish them well in the future.”

Goodwin revealed he has already begun the search for the players he feels will boost his squad in preparation for a crack at the League One title next season, and says he hopes to have some good news for Wasps fans within the next week.

He said: “We always aim to improve and there is no point in standing still. There would be no point in letting boys go if we weren’t going to replace them with players we feel would improve the squad.

"We need to develop the club and make the team better, and there are players out there who we have identified.

"We have spoken to a few players and we hope to have a few announcements by the middle of next week.”

One player who could make a return to Alloa is striker Dylan Mackin, who featured on loan for the club last season and has since left parent club Motherwell.

Goodwin added: “Dylan was great for us during his time here and he did everything we asked of him. He settled in really well and got on well with all the boys.

"He is certainly one of the players we will be speaking to, and we will see what happens. I’m sure he will have lots of offers.”