Danny Woodards has made 89 starts in just over two years at Crewe

Danny Woodards will leave relegated Crewe Alexandra in the close season after refusing to sign a new contract.

The 25-year-old was offered a new deal but manager Gudjon Thordarson is now resigned to losing the defender.

The Alex, who were relegated to League Two on Saturday, have also released five players whose contracts with the club expire in the summer.

Chris McCready, Stuart Tomlinson, Mark Carrington, Luke Danville and Josh Thompson have been told they can leave.

Defender McCready has been limited to just 131 minutes of football for the Alex since Thordarson's arrival in December because of injury.

The Crewe boss will hold talks with Colin Daniel, George Abbey, Steven Schumacher and Eugen Bopp about their futures with the club.

"The squad has shrunk a bit," Thordarson told BBC Radio Stoke. "At the moment, I'm seeing what is available out there, and for what kind of money.

"We need to make sure that the balance is right, and I will carry a much smaller squad next season."

Daniel spent the last two months of the season on loan at League Two side Macclesfield, while Schumacher missed the same period with a knee injury.

Bopp, meanwhile, has struggled to establish himself at Crewe since signing in the summer of 2007, making just 11 starts in all competitions.

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