Partick Thistle announce departure of five first-team players

Partick Thistle have released four members of their first-team squad, while Niall Keown has returned down south following his loan move from Reading.

David Amoo, right, is one of five first-team players to exit Partick Thistle. Picture: SNS

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The centre-back is joined on the way out of Firhill by David Amoo, Mark Ridgers, Sean Welsh and David Wilson. The foursome leave having not been offered new deals by the club.

One player who will remain is midfielder Gary Fraser. The 23-year-old has struggled badly with injury over the past two seasons, but Thistle have granted him a six-month extension to give the player a chance to prove his fitness.

Manager Alan Archibald said in a statement on the official site: “I’d like to place on record my thanks to each of the players who have been released and wish them all the best for the future.

“I would like to give a special mention to Sean Welsh. Sean has been at the club for more than five years and has been a vital part of the squad throughout that time.

“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 and 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.

“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 Welsh two years ago and we will be hoping for similar results when it comes to Gary.”