Saints have released Rudi Skacel and Ryan Smith following the end of the season which has left the club looking at life in League One with a points deduction.

Skacel, who signed in a protracted £1.6m deal from Hearts three years ago, has ultimately failed to live up to the hype surrounding his transfer in 2006, and his release has come about after it was revealed that his contract was renegotiated upon his return from a loan spell with Hertha Berlin which shortened his contract by a year - he had originally signed a 4-year deal.

As one of the club’s highest earners, and following a reported show of dissent when he was substituted at Sheffield Wednesday three weeks ago, this end is hardly a surprise, and I suspect there won’t be many Saints fans who will be particularly sad to see him go. That said, there will be a lot of disappointment that he never really lived up to the top billing he was given when he signed for the club.

Ryan Smith was given a short-term contract after signing on a free transfer from Millwall - while showing occasional flashes of ability, he was never able to replicate it on a regular basis, and probably shows why he had failed to make the grade at other clubs earlier in his career.

Three senior players are also out of contract at the end of June, but it is hoped that they will remain with the club in League One, albeit on much reduced wages. Jason Euell, Bradley Wright-Phillips and player of the year Kelvin Davis will all become free agents soon, but all have made encouraging noises in recent times about their desire to stay, even if it involves taking a big pay cut.