ANDY Preece has made many tough decisions at St George's Lane -- but his most painful assignment looms just around the corner.

Managers up and down the country brace themselves to tackle the same pre-summer dilemma when the last ball of the football season is kicked.

The retained list. Who will be on it? And whose future career lies away from Worcester City?

It's not the simplest of calls for player-manager Preece, who admits as much following his side's wonderful Spring roll.

Aside from the injured crew, every single squad member has played a part in transforming City from relegation contenders to play-off pretenders in the space of two thrilling months.

So it will be a bitter pill to swallow for those being told their playing days at the Lane are over.

Departees Pat Lyons and Colin Hoyle were eager to move on to cut down on travelling, but those remaining are desperate to stay as the good times beckon under the confident, new management duo. Again, another unenviable task for Preece.

"A lot of decisions are going to have to be made and it won't be an easy time for me," explains Preece. "I want to be promoted next season if possible and we want the right players. It will depend on the budget and at the moment, it is pretty tight.

"The players have been magnificent since I've come here. We could have been talking about going into the Southern League and getting back into the Conference North.

"If you look at Stalybridge Celtic's position, that might have been us. The lads have got to be proud of where they've taken us."

Despite Worcester's flourishing form, which halted at Altrincham to blunt their slim play-off hopes, a change in squad is almost inevitable. However, the numbers coming and going is tricky to speculate. When Worcester hovered near the relegation zone, it was reckoned wholesale changes were required.

But the club's rapid rise up the league paints a somewhat different picture. Are the majority of the current players now capable of taking City into the Nationwide Conference?

Strikers Adam Webster, Leon Kelly and Christian Moore, midfielder Jai Stanley and goalkeeper Danny McDonnell are all guaranteed a little security with contracts that run until the end of the 2005/06 campaign.

But a question mark will hang over the future of ageing stars Carl Heeley, John Snape and Paul Carty, for obvious reasons.

However, the veteran trio have rolled back the years under the management of Preece and his assistant Andy Morrison.

Skipper Heeley remains a dependable leader at the back, tough-tackling Snape is still influential in the middle of the park, while Carty's progression as club libero has led to a string of virtuoso displays from the 38-year-old.

The younger players are also in doubt. Shabir Khan has sat on the sidelines for much of the season with a troublesome groin, while James Smith, Liam McDonald, Dan Parker and Lewis Skyers have had limited chances.

The quartet got their opportunity to shine against Barrow and they should figure again when Worcester head to Gainsborough for the final day dead-rubber.

Preece will almost certainly draft in new signings and the former Bury boss may need to wheel-and-deal to secure his transfer targets. An interesting summer awaits.