LONG-SERVING Dean Bennett fears his Kidderminster Harriers career could be over as he waits to hear if he will be offered a new contract.

The 32-year-old out-of-contract midfielder, a member of the 2000 Conference title-winning team, says he would love to stay at Aggborough.

But manager Steve Burr has been unable to offer any new deal, and with a couple of weeks before pre-season starts, Bennett admits he has no idea where he will start the new campaign.

Burr had initials talks after the season ended but with finances increasingly tight at Aggborough nothing permanent has transpired.

The manager is trying to create more funds by getting rid of transfer-listed duo Robbie Matthews and Gavin Caines, who are both available for free. Their exits would free up extra wages, as would centre-half Martin Riley, who has been linked to Cheltenham. However, Burr said Harriers had not had any interest in any of the trio.

Striker Matthews, one of the top earners in the club, has been offered a package to pay up the remaining year of his contract but he has rejected it.

“I would love to come back to Kidderminster but I would probably have heard something by now,” said Bennett, who has started more than 300 games in three spells at the club. “I love being at Kidderminster and I wouldn’t want to leave if it was my choice. They would have to kick me out.

“I really don’t know what’s happening. When I spoke to the manager at the end of the season, he said he would have to wait to see what the chairman could put together for the budget. Unfortunately that’s football these days. Financially it’s got tighter and tighter and squads have got smaller and smaller.”

Burr admits he is facing a juggling act to get the best-value squad with the money available.

“A lot of what we can do depends on moving players on – we’ve got players who are transfer-listed who are tieing up a considerable amount of money that could be used for wages to bring in players,” said Burr.

Harriers will be looking at several trailists for pre-season. Former Redditch and Stratford winger Matty Blair, Alvechurch midfielder Callum Gittings and defender Paul McCone, who has been at Wolves academy, will join the club, looking to impress.