Boss Lee Richardson has issued his retained list with two games remaining and the players he believes will be of no use next season are Kevin Cooper, defender Kevin Gray, Jamie Jackson, Josh Law, defender Alan O'Hare and wide player Adam Smith.

The Saltergate Six will not be offered new terms while fresh contracts have been offered to big frontman Steve Fletcher, central defender Janos Kovacs, skipper Peter Leven, mifdfielder Derek Niven and defender Phil Picken. A decision about veteran striker Bruce Dyer has yet to be made.

Richardson had aspirations of automatic promotion and an expectation that his players would secure a play-off berth.

So he was more than disappointed when all chances of bouncing straight back into League One were wiped out with two matches left.

He has described this season – his first full one in management – as an extremely steep learning curve.

Scoring has not been a problem, the 44 league matches so far having yielded 75 goals, but it has been the leakiness at the other end of the pitch that has cost the club so dearly.

Richardson believes lessons have been learned and he is now determined to put things right to launch a concerted promotion bid when next season kicks off.

''I don't need to name names, but it's no secret that I've been trying to strengthen central defence since November. It's difficult to do that during the season, a fact that people do not appreciate,'' he said.

Richardson looked back on eight games when his team had taken the lead but had failed to go on and take full points.

''That has a demoralising effect on everyone. I have made mistakes but there have also been individual errors.

''I know where my problems are and they are not all in defence. We have pulversided some teams and missed chance after chance.

''Now I have an opportunity to change the personnel,'' he said.

Midfielder Cooper (33), a £1m man when he was bought by Wolves six years ago, joined the club in February and has started just two games.

Experienced defender Gray (36) arrived at Saltergate last summer but has made just ten first-team starts.

Jackson (21) has been unable to command a regular place in the team and has spent much of this season on loan at non-league clubs.

Smith (23), who has been a professional since 2002, has also found it difficult to impose himself on the team and has suffered knee problems which have kept him sidelined.

Josh Law, son of former manager Nicky, is at Alfreton on loan while former young player of the year Alan O'Hare (25), a left-sided defender, has made 154 league appearances since he moved to Chesterfield from Bolton in 2002.

He last played in a blue shirt in February.

In the midst of all the disappointment, Richardson has been astonished that some fans have turned their anger on chairman Barrie Hubbard.

''If it was not for him and his board, there would not be a football club.