THE FUTURE of six North End players hang in the balance as new Preston boss Craig Brown finds his feet at the helm of the good ship Deepdale.

Appointed on Monday, with a disappointed Kelham O'Hanlon agreeing to become his deputy, Brown has already begun looking at his squad to see what changes could be made.

He has admitted he knows precious little about the players, all of who are now on summer holidays, and will use O'Hanlon's knowledge of the squad to see where changes can be made.

What could make things interesting, however, is the fact that Brown has already been told he has little money to spend, thanks in part to the collapse of ITV Digital this week.

That could lead to some players not-out-of-contract being sold off if Brown feels he can get other players better suited to his plans.

What is certain is that the futures of Steve Basham, Clyde Wijnhard, Adam Eaton, Eric Skora and Sadio Sow all need resolving.

All are on the verge of becoming free agents.

Basham has apparently stalled on a new contract, saying he wants to stay but requires more money. This is despite the fact he hasn't played many games since signing for the club thanks to a catalogue of injuries.

Wijnhard wants to have his contract extended as well. The Flying Dutchman has become a fans' favourite after grabbing several goals during his spell at Deepdale.

Adam Eaton, a youngster brought in from Everton several seasons ago and Sow have both played fringe parts this this season.

Brown has said he is keen to work with the current players first before making any decisions but details of who stays on the retained list need to be sorted before the players start looking for new clubs.

He will study footage of the last six games to spot his team's strengths and weaknesses.

That should give hope to Wimbledon winger Gareth Ainsworth, who left the club after the last game of the season following an impressive, if not bloody, loan period.

One of Brown's first decisions was to set up a pre-season friendly with Dundee for July 27, the team he won a championship medal with as a player 40 years ago.

The trip will also be a homecoming for Iain Anderson, who played at Dens Park before moving to Toulouse.