Peterhead assistant boss Davie Nicholls insists players will have to earn their new contracts at Balmoor for next season.
The remaining fixtures are an opportunity for those without a deal for the 2022-23 campaign to prove they should be part of Jim McInally’s plans.
Peterhead cut their budget ahead of the start of this season and opted to go with a more youthful squad.
Some signings have been brought in on longer deals, such as David Wilson, Grant Savoury and Jack Brown. But there are a number of players who do not have deals for next season, such as Brett Long, Rico Quitongo, Andy McDonald, Andy McCarthy and Niah Payne.
Skipper Scott Brown has previously indicated he will assess his options in the summer after January interest from Ayr United.
“It’s the same as any walk of life – you need to show people you’re worth that contract or that employment,” said Nicholls.
“The money isn’t as freely available as it was in the past. Not just at Peterhead, but at every club. Everybody is cutting their cloth as money is tight, after everything that has been going on with Covid.
“If you want to get a contract, you need to make sure you’re earning it. There’s a lot of clubs out there, as well as ourselves, where the money is not there right now.
Nicholls stressed that he and McInally have been impressed with the contributions from the whole squad this season.
“You’re going to need everyone to contribute,” he said. “That’s been a good thing from my point of view – where the guys that are coming on are contributing.
“It’s happened before, not necessarily with ourselves, but you see players coming on who are in a huff and don’t contribute.
“But our guys are putting their bodies on the line and helping their team-mates out, to make sure we get a result.”
The Blue Toon have endured a topsy-turvy campaign in League One, but Nicholls feels the young squad will have learned from the tribulations of this season.
“I think it’s a massive factor in football,” he said. “You become really resilient and bounce back from real disappointment.
“There’s been a lot of games where guys have been fantastic but not got the rewards they deserve.
“Football can be really harsh and a cruel mistress. But you need to learn from that and when you do get the good times you understand how you managed to do that.
“You understand what you need to put in place every week to achieve those goals.”
