FC Halifax Town: Wild hopes to conclude negotiations by the end of the week with out-of-contract players

It is thought that goalkeeper Sam Johnson, defender Jay Benn and midfielder Jack Earing are already under contract for next season, along with transfer-listed duo Matty Brown and Jacob Hanson, of whom Wild said there had been no approaches yet from other clubs.

That leaves defenders Nathan Clarke, Michael Duckworth and Niall Maher, midfielders Charlie Cooper, Josh Staunton, Jeff King, Cameron King and Danny Williams, and forwards Jamie Allen and Tobi Sho-Silva as those whose futures remain undecided.

“We’re still working with them,” said Wild of his out-of-contract players. “They only got told on Saturday so the negotiations are ongoing, and they’re quite open negotiations.

“But we would like to have hopefully most of them concluded by the end of the week either way, because if they say no, we need time to go and find other people, and if it’s a yes, then we want them on board, ready to go, and that’s another position we don’t have to go and find.”

Wild said no agreements over new contracts were in the bag yet and that it was difficult to say how many of them would sign up.

“These negotiations are not easy these days, they all want the best deal for themselves, I get that, but ultimately my constraints are what I’ve got to work within, and I’ve got to make sure I work within them as much as I can,” Wild said.

“Ones I’ve thought when I’ve called them ‘yeah I’m sure they’ll do it’ have been the ones that have come back to us with some discussion points.

“Until they’ve scribbled on that bit of paper, they’re not done.

“The budget is what it is and I can only offer what we’ve got. I can’t be held to ransom or be giving money away that jeopardizes the squad I want.”

Wild says he will be working with “in and around the same budget” next season, which means Town will again be one of, if not the, lowest budgets in the league.

On progress with potential new signings, Wild said: “We’re speaking to a lot of players, a lot of our targets and over this week and next week, we hope to progress those conversations along.

“I then have to speak to the chairman whether I can get the go-ahead when I get them into a position where I think they’re ready to go.

“So there’s a lot of to-ing and fro-ing that has to go on to get a deal over the line.”

On which positions he classed as a priority to strengthen, Wild said: “I think that’ll depend on our current players taking up offers, but like I said before, we need some goals, we need more athletes and a bit more experience.

“They’re the types of player I’m looking at, but it’ll all depend on the answers I get back at the end of this week from our current crop.”

Read more from Wild, and the Courier’s FC Halifax Town 2019-20 season review, in this Thursday’s Halifax Courier.