BURNLEY manager Owen Coyle has offered professional contracts to five of the club’s second year apprentices for the 2009/10 season.

Central defenders Nik Kudiersky and Chris Lynch, central midfielders Chris Anderson and Alex-Ray Harvey and 26-goal striker Wes Fletcher have all had terms tabled to them by the Clarets boss, while full back Ben Hoskin has been offered a short-term contract for the summer after being sidelined all season with a stress fracture of the back.

Burnley’s director of youth development, Martin Dobson, was delighted by the number of contracts handed out.

And although defender Dan Brown, midfielder Dil Chagger, winger James Craggs and goalkeeper Stef Ritchie missed out, he believes they can still carve out a future in football.

Of the potential new professionals, ex-Claret and England midfielder Dobson said: “They have worked particularly hard and deserve a contract.

"I have only been here since September and quite a few of these lads have been at this football club for many, many years.

"They know the club inside out, their loyalty is with this club and hopefully they will go on to have wonderful careers here.

“And we are pleased so many have been offered deals.

"It’s the manager’s decision at the end of the day - we can only give recommendations - it’s whether he feels they warrant a contract, and he’s been very supportive.

“Lots of them have played in the reserves, and he’s aware of who’s playing because he’s been involved in some of those games himself and has first-hand experience of playing alongside them.”

Dobson, who himself was released as a teenager by Bolton Wanderers before signing for Burnley in the 1960s, added: “Lots of tears have been shed - even the ones who have been offered contracts - but as pleased as we are for the five, we genuinely feel for those who haven’t.

“They have all put their hearts and souls into it and, having been in this situation myself as a young professional back at Bolton, I know it is not a nice feeling.

“We are acutely aware of their disappointment and I have to say it was a tough call.

“It is all about opinions and we deliberated for a long time on every player.

"They all have their positive aspects and we would all like to think they will be given another chance somewhere else.

“The support mechanism is out there for the players who have been released, and certainly the club will do all we can to make that happen because each and every one has been an absolute credit to themselves, their parents and the football club and we wish them well in their future careers.”

Like 19-year-old striker Jay Rodriguez, who has blossomed from the first team bench this season, both Anderson and Harvey are Burnley-born and joined the club when they were just nine years old.

Blackburn-born Lynch has also been with the Clarets for the last nine years.

Fletcher, of Ormskirk, joined Burnley in 2007 after being spotted playing for Lancashire, while Glossop-born Kudiersky has been involved with the club since 2005.