SKIPPER Steve Fletcher is urging chairman Peter Phillips to "pull out all the stops" in a bid to keep the current Cherries squad together.

Fletcher is one of 13 players whose existing deal is due to expire at the end of next month and Phillips says the club would "love to keep them all".

And with the season now over, Phillips and Cherries boss Sean O'Driscoll are expected to open talks with the players in the next few days.

Fletcher told the Daily Echo: "The chairman spoke to us a couple of months ago and said he couldn't give anybody a contract because he didn't know which division we were going to be in.

"Now that's done and dusted, he's got to pull out all the stops to keep everybody because we don't want to lose any players.

"Every squad member is vital and anyone can come in and play.

"We haven't got fringe players any more. When the people who haven't been playing come in, they keep their place because Sean's blooded them at an early age.

"We've got a good 20 to 21-man squad and if we can add to it that would be a bonus but we can't let anybody go.

"I believe this is one of the best squads we've had since I've been here and it would be a heartache and a disaster if we lost anyone because some of the players are irreplaceable and you wouldn't swap them for any others in the division."

O'Driscoll and Phillips are in a similar position to 12 months ago when they managed to negotiate new deals with 10 of the club's 11 out-of-contract players. Warren Feeney was the only one who did not agree terms.

Phillips said: "We've got 13 out of contract so we've got a lot of work to do over the next week or two to try to keep them together but that's our policy and that's what we will try to do.

"Sean has spent a lot of time building up this squad and we don't feel they've reached their potential yet so we would love to keep them all.

"We lost Warren Feeney (last year), but apart from that, we managed to keep everyone and I was delighted about that.

"It's only right and reasonable that some of our players who are undoubtedly good enough to play in the Championship and who could be paid more wages elsewhere, have a look around if they want to before signing.

"But we would dearly love them to stay and will do everything we can to keep the squad together."

Phillips added: "There are some of our players who have been regular first teamers who have had fantastic seasons and who could undoubtedly play in the Championship and it will be tough to keep them but we will do our very best. They've got short careers and they've got to look after themselves but, if we can, we'll keep the core of this squad together and push on to more success next season."

O'Driscoll, speaking following Cherries' 2-2 draw with Hartlepool on Saturday, said: "We want to keep our better players if we can and improve the squad with the resources we've got.

"It will be difficult next season with the transfer window so we can't supplement people when and as we want so we'll just have to see what we can do in the market and see if we can again create a squad good enough to do it next time."

Cherries' out-of-contract players (in alphabetical order):-

1 Karl Broadhurst

2 Marcus Browning

3 Alan Connell

4 Wade Elliott

5 Steve Fletcher (below)

6 Shaun Maher

7 Garreth O'Connor

8 Steve Purches

9 Dani Rodrigues

10 Gareth Stewart

11 Brian Stock

12 Jason Tindall

13 Neil Young