Paul Simpson today released seven Shrewsbury Town players as the dust continued to settle on the club’s promotion heartbreak.

Two of the players who started Saturday’s crushing Wembley play-off final defeat to Gillingham – Neil Ashton and Nick Chadwick – were both told their Town careers were at an end this morning.

Moses Ashikodi, who appeared as an injury-time substitute in the 1-0 reverse, has also left, while the other casualties are Ben Herd, Michael Symes, Stephen Hindmarch and goalkeeper Jasbir Singh.

All the other out-of-contract players have been offered fresh deals – Kelvin Langmead, Ben Davies, Chris Humphrey and Steve Leslie have two-year terms on the table while Darren Moss and Omer Riza are considering 12 month extensions.

Luke Daniels and David Worrall have both returned to Albion after loan spells to learn what plans the Championship club have for them.

Andre Gray and Harry Hooman will both have been handed first year professional contracts similar to the one given to Jasbir Singh 12 months ago.

Manager’s son Jake Simpson – who has recently left Blackburn’s academy and has been training with Town – has joined the staff on a similar deal.

Arguably the highest profile player released is Ashton who has become a regular at left-back since the departure of Marc Tierney to Colchester in December and made 170 starts for the club since December 2004.

But that has not been enough to save the Scouser who was Town’s second longest serving player behind Langmead.

He had endured a roller-coaster ride through the play-offs in recent weeks having scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in the two semi-final legs against Bury.

Herd leaves having made 153 starts for the club since signing from Watford, but he has been kept out of the team by Moss for much of the season.

Strike duo Chadwick and Ashikodi both signed mid-term deals until the end of the season, while signs that Michael Symes’ days at the Prostar Stadium were numbered came with loan stints at Bournemouth and Accrington this term.

Hindmarch and Singh have failed to make impressions on the first team in their one-year deals as professionals at the Prostar Stadium.

By James Garrison