Duo released by United
9:51am Friday 29th August 2008
Michael Husbands and Rob Davies have both been shown the door by Oxford United.
And manager Darren Patterson says it's because the club's highly promising young players have greater potential.
Former Wrexham and West Brom midfielder Davies was on an extended trial contract which expired at the end of August, and has been told he will not be offered a new deal.
Much-travelled striker Husbands, 24, who was one of Aston Villa's FA Youth Cup winning team in 2002, was with the U's on non-contract terms.
Davies made just one start, in the opening day 3-0 defeat at Barrow, but was substituted at half-time.
Husbands made two sub appearances, at Barrow and in the home defeat by Weymouth.
Patterson said: "They weren't quite what we were looking for.
"If you look at Michael Husbands and at Matty Taylor and Alex Fisher, we think the young lads are going to be better.
"And you look at Rob Davies and then look at the boy Richard Groves, who plays centre, or Sam Deering, who plays wide - we feel they're going to be better.
"He's got to be ten times better than what we've got and he's not.
"It does make us even thinner on the ground, I know, but I'm looking at Andy Murray, Joe Burnell, Groves, Deering and Levi Reid."
Both Husbands and Reid came from Macclesfield, and Patterson hinted that Reid may have done enough to earn a longer-term deal. Both he and young keeper Ben Hinchliffe are on short-term deals.
"We're negotiating with Levi and Ben," United's manager confirmed.
Patterson is still hoping to boost his squad before the August 31 transfer deadline.
"I'd love it to happen," he stated. "Ideally I want a big ugly centre half and a big ugly centre forward, and I think it's something we need, watching us play at the minute. The other areas we've got enough to get by with."
Patterson has already found and identified the players he believes the team need, but there are stumbling blocks.
Finance is understood to be the main one, though he refused to comment on that.