ANDY GRAHAM aims to build a slightly smaller squad than the one he had this season as Alloa release their list of retained players.

16 first-team players have signed contract extensions with Alloa as announced in the recently released squad update.

The club published a list of their retained players, alongside information regarding departures, on Monday afternoon.

As covered extensively by Advertiser Sport over the last couple months, Alloa had been confirming who was staying one by one.

Now, fans can get a clearer idea of Andy Graham’s squad going into League One next season, with the full list of names confirmed.

In terms of goalkeepers, PJ Morrison was the first name to be confirmed to be staying, while contract discussions remain with Tochukwu Ogayi.

The gaffer has retained the services off all six defenders, with Scott Taggart, David Devine, Morgyn Neill, David McKay, Cammy O’Donnell and the boss himself signing up for next season.

For midfielders, Director’s Player of the Year Kurtis Roberts is staying, as is Steven Hetherington, Miko Virtanen, Kevin Cawley and Stefan Scougall.

Alloa’s attacking presence remains sturdy too, with the likes of Conor Sammon, Luke Donnelly and Steven Buchanan all signed up.

Speaking to ­Advertiser Sport, Graham said: “This is a squad that did really well to finish third and the two teams above us went up.

“I’m delighted to keep the vast majority of them because they did really well, there were a few of them that had offers elsewhere and the fact that they want to stay at Alloa is a good sign for us.

“Hopefully, we add a few more little bits of quality here and there to help the squad but I think it’s important that you have that continuity.

“I’m delighted that a lot of them are wanting to stay.”

READ MORE: Jon Robertson among 5 departures for Alloa Athletic

While 16 first team players have already put pen to paper, contract discussions remain ongoing with two.

Quinn Coulson, who scored the first goal against Hamilton in the playoff second leg, is still to make a decision, as is Tochukwu ‘Phil’ Ogayi.

Both players have been important part of Graham’s squad, with Coulson making 37 appearances over the campaign.

Ogayi, meanwhile, has proven to be a reliable backup option in the absence of PJ Morrison, last providing an entertaining performance during the 2-2 game against Falkirk on the last game of the season.

“I hope they stay,” Graham said. “I totally understand if Phil wants to become a number one goalkeeper and Quinn always had that ambition to go back to full time.

“It’s not my decision, talks are positive but we just need to wait and see what unfolds over the coming days.”

With 16 players now signed up, the bulk of the squad has already been made known.

A concern raised this season was the size of the squad, with Brian Rice assembling a 28-man squad.

This was dropped down to 26 as Nathan Cannon and Luke Rankin went out on loan, and further dropped to 24 with the departures of Brad Rodden and Josh Debayo.

It finally rose back to 25 as Ethan Sutherland came in on loan from St Mirren to provide cover at left back.

Graham continued: “That’s something we all kind of knew and I tried to address it right away and get smaller in January when Brad Rodden and Josh Debayo left.

“We obviously brought in Ethan due to the injuries to Cammy O’Donnell and Euan Deveney at that point.

“The squad size is something I’m looking to bring down but at the same time, still utilise people like Reece Mullen who I’d like to be part of the first team but we’re also running an U20s team this year so he’ll still be playing and involved in that.

“But at the same time, having these guys who I know well ready to step in and do well if I do get some injuries in the first team from the youth perspective.

“That’s really important for a club like Alloa as opposed 26 first team players, I think this is a better way to go about it.

“We’re looking to add a few more bits of quality and then take it from there.”