Partick Thistle exit for Chaplain, Donnelly & McKinlay

May 6 2009 By Fraser Wilson

SIMON DONNELLY, Kevin McKinlay and Scott Chaplain will leave Partick Thistle in the summer after being told their contracts won't be renewed.

The trio will be joined by youngsters Graeme Eaglesham and Michael Robertson in heading out the Firhill exit door as Jags boss Ian McCall prepares to rebuild his squad for next season's tilt at the First Division title.

The departure of ex-Celtic star Donnelly had been predicted as the 34-year-old striker has struggled with injury and scored only two goals this season.

But freeing midfielders McKinlay, a driving force on the left hand side, and Chaplain could ruffle a few feathers down Firhill way.

McCall has never shied away from making bold decisions and admitted, had it not been for financial constraints, he would have offered all three senior players new deals.

However, if he is to bring in new faces such as number one target and former Inverness midfielder Richie Hart, then players must first be offloaded.

McCall told the club's website: "Letting players go, especially those that have done a job for you, is one of the most difficult tasks that a manager faces.

"In the case of the three senior players on the list had finances been different then ideally I would liked to have kept them while also adding players to the squad.

"Money is tight right across the board in Scottish football though and that just wasn't possible to do."