Colchester United: Nouble, Prosser, Jackson and Comley set to leave club
- Published
Frank Nouble (left) has scored five goals for Colchester this season
Colchester United say they will release four first-team regulars they had wanted to re-sign due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Frank Nouble, Luke Prosser, Ryan Jackson and Brandon Comley are set to leave at the end of next month after a combined 163 appearances in 2019-20,
Colchester were sixth in League Two when play was halted last month.
"I just won't gamble with other people's livelihoods or with the club," chairman Robbie Cowling said.
"It is for that reason that I have had to take the very difficult decision of not re-signing a number of players that under normal circumstances I would have been determined to re-sign.
"I appreciate the decision will make the team less capable when the season does resume but it is very unlikely that we will be the only club to take such a step," he added to the club website.
Experienced forward Nouble 28, has played more than 300 games in his career and also had spells at West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Wolves, while defender Prosser, 31, has been at Colchester for four years and missed just two league games this season.
Full-back Jackson, 29, has been a first team regular since moving to the club in the summer of 2017 and 24-year-old midfielder Comley had established himself in the side after joining in January 2018 from QPR.
Cowling says what was a difficult existence for the U's before the pandemic has become even tougher since football was halted, and other less established players will also be leaving when their contracts expire.
"I'm not going to sugar coat how difficult things are for Colchester United. Things were not easy beforehand when the club relied on financial support from my other businesses," he continued.
"Obviously, things recently got much more difficult and not just for the club but also for my other businesses that normally support it."
Cowling added: "I'm confident that Colchester United will get through this crisis, but we will do so because we are part of a football family that is pulling together.
"The club has a proud record of always paying its players in full and on time. We achieve this because I will never sign a contract if I can't commit to fulfilling it."
Analysis
BBC Essex sports editor Glenn Speller
"The fact it's Colchester United who are the first to break ranks might come as a surprise.
"The U's have made much of their success in bringing academy players through and appear one of the more stable clubs at League Two level. Yet they still rely on Robbie Cowling to keep them on an even keel.
"The four players have been key to getting them into play-off contention so this has to be the clearest sign yet this is about securing the long-term future and viability of Colchester United rather than any potential promotion."