HEREFORD United could be on the verge of losing their player-of-the-year for the third successive season.

Fifteen-goal striker Steve Guinan is on the point of quitting Edgar Street after, so far, failing to reach a deal with new boss John Trewick.

“I would love to stay at Hereford but contract talks have reached a stalemate,” said the popular striker.

“With the pay cut I have been asked to take, considering that I did not get a rise to move up to League 1 last summer, it is just not practicable for me.

“I have a wife and two young children to support.”

If Guinan, who was by far Hereford’s outstanding player during their dismal League 1 campaign, does leave Hereford, he will follow the two previous seasons’ top players. Rob Purdie and Wayne Brown found better deals elsewhere despite being voted the fans’ favourites.

“Steve and I discussed a position as player-coach,” said Trewick. “But no agreement was reached.

“Now I am thinking about him in terms of a player only.

“The door is open, as it is with Ben Smith.”

Trewick has offered deals to Kris Taylor and Richard Rose.

Local boy Craig Jones has already signed a new deal while another home-grown player, Sam Gwynne, is also expected to sign up again.

However, there will be no place in the Trewick regime for long-serving Dean Beckwith.

The centre-back, who was the last surviving playing link at the club with the side which won promotion from the Conference, has not been offered a new deal after more than 150 appearances for the club.

Beckwith made a scoring debut against Scarborough in the first game of the 2005-6 season and was a regular choice for the remainder of that and the two subsequent seasons, playing a key role as Hereford were promoted again from League 2.

But injuries and variable form plagued the 25-year-old during the season just finished and he started fewer than half of the League 1 clashes.

Out-of-contract Stephen O’Leary and Jack MacLeod have not been offered new deals.

Only Toumani Diagouraga and Matt Done, from last season’s squad, were already under contract.