TOWN boss Andy King may have to wait until mid June before he can effectively begin to shape his squad for the forthcoming campaign.
The club have yet to receive a single 'yes' or 'no' from those senior professionals still pondering over their respective futures at the County Ground.
However, the players concerned are under no pressure to decide at this stage, as June 15 has now emerged as decision day.
King was under the impression that answers had to be with the club by May 16, but it now seems that the players have more time to weigh matters up than their manager thought.
At this stage it is unclear whether Rhys Evans, David Duke, Grant Smith, Sammy Igoe and Brian Howard will be back at the County Ground next season.
A club spokesman confirmed yesterday that none of the five players (Matt Heywood has already said no) had yet responded to the offers put to them.
The letters sent out to the players make it clear that they must indicate their acceptance or otherwise by mid June.
The two youth team members have slightly longer to decide with both Michael Pook, pictured, and Kyle Lapham not obliged to reply to their offers until June 21.
While Lapham has already indicated he will sign if the offer in his words 'keeps my head above water' Pook also looks ready to put pen to paper.
The 19-year-old said: "I don't think there's much doubt that I'm going to accept the offer.
"As a youngster it's more about being handed the opportunity."
Examining the fine print in a professional deal is a new experience for Pook but he is probably better equipped than most to cope.
He has A levels in maths and business studies and both subjects could be useful in detecting any undesirable clauses.
Not that Pook is expecting problems.
He said: "I'll have a couple of weeks rest, look to go on holiday, spend some time at the gym and then look forward to reporting back for pre-season."
Meanwhile, director Sandy Gray said last night there had been no fresh developments regarding the Town squad.
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