Barnet have announced skipper Charlie MacDonald and goalkeeper Sam Cowler have been released following further discussions, with those also out of contract still in talks.

The pair were not initially included on head coach Martin Allen's released list but will leave The Hive.

Speaking to the club website, Allen said of the decision to free MacDonald: "I had a long, long chat with Charlie MacDonald and we have decided that Charlie will not be offered a new deal with Barnet.

"Charlie has been a tremendous help to me throughout the season as well as an excellent player on the pitch.

"During the last couple of months of the season he played on with his knee injury and was very rarely training to protect his knee to enable us to use him if we needed a goal. He is a model professional and has been a leader in the dressing room and a superb coach.

"He had a very minor cartilage tidy-up operation yesterday (Tuesday) and I have invited him back to pre-season training to help him with his football fitness. I have reiterated to Charlie that if he doesn’t find something and I don’t get what we want then the door will still be open."

Addressing the decision to let Cowler leave, Allen added: "I also had a long chat with Sam Cowler yesterday, and, in a similar way to Jack Saville, I feel that Sam needs to get out and play and prove himself as a goalkeeper in his own right.

"Sam is a superb trainer, very popular with all of the players and has been a great help throughout the season."

David Stephens, Sam Togwell, Michael Gash and Jon Nurse are also out of contract and Allen confirmed there is no update on the quartet yet.

"Jon Nurse is away on holiday and I will be speaking to him about his future next week when he returns," he explained.   

"Negotiations are ongoing with our other players but I must reiterate that I need to strengthen the team and improve the team and work out how much we can fit into our budget." 

MacDonald, 34, was restricted to 30 league appearances last season due to injury but remained a key member of Allen's squad scoring eight times in the Conference.

The striker featured in the Bees' final two fixtures of the season after recovering from a calf problem and speaking after winning promotion to League Two by beating Gateshead 2-0 on the final day, confirmed he would like to remain at the club.

When asked if he would like to stay, the former Brentford and MK Dons forward replied: “I hope to stay. I'll have to sit down with the gaffer.

“I've enjoyed it, injuries aside, and I feel I have a lot more to offer. Fingers crossed something gets sorted out.”

Meanwhile, Cowler has made just two first-team appearances this term, both coming in the FA Trophy.

The goalkeeper was signed as cover for Graham Stack but featured sparingly on the bench with only five substitutes allowed.

The former West Ham United youngster only returned to the club last summer having previously three outings during his first spell with the Bees.

He tweeted the news on Tuesday evening: