Coventry City: Five released as manager plans squad overhaul

Coventry City are to release five players as new manager Steven Pressley plans a summer overhaul of the playing staff at the Ricoh Arena.

Defenders Richard Wood, Jordan Stewart and Nathan Cameron, along with strikers Stephen Elliott and Danny Philliskirk will not be offered new contracts for the 2013-14 season.

And loan men James Bailey and Callum Ball will both return to Derby County.

But Pressley hopes to tie up a new deal for Southampton defender Aaron Martin.

Martin, 23, made 12 League One appearances after arriving from the south coast on loan in February.

Having ended the season with a 34-man playing staff, following a season in which the cash-strapped club went into administration, Pressley acknowledged that the playing staff needed trimming.

"We need to refresh and reinvigorate the squad, so tough decisions have to be made," he said.

Having seen their bid for the League One play-offs finally ended in late March by the Football League's statutory 10-point deduction for any club going into administration, Coventry finished the season badly, failing to win any of their final five matches.

They completed the league campaign in 15th place, 19 points adrift of the play-offs.

However, United States-born global businessman Preston Haskell IV is still in talks with the club's administrators about a takeover deal and new investment in the club would stimulate fresh optimism for next season.