The duo were both of out contract at the end of the campaign and MacPherson has opted not to give them new deals.

Maxwell signed for St Mirren from St Johnstone in 2005, while Brittain joined a year later from Livingston.

MacPherson revealed that, with a number of promising youngsters coming through at the club, it was time to let them move on.

He said: "I've spoken to Ian and Richard and told them we won't be extending their contracts.

"Richard's been unfortunate with his injuries but as we're tightening the squad we also need to freshen it up.

"That happens at this time of year. We've had a strong squad and they've both played a major part in it and we thank them for their efforts.

"I don't think they'll have a problem finding clubs because of their achievements through their careers and what they've done at St Mirren.

"We've got young players who are pushing through, we believe we've got a crop of them that need to be given an opportunity to show what they can do."

David van Zanten will also leave at the end of the season as the full-back has signed a pre-contract with Hibs and MacPherson is not surprised the Irishman is moving on.

He said: "We've known for some time what David's intentions were and we've got to accept it. That's the modern game and we've got a more than adequate replacement coming in in Jack Ross."

St Mirren face Gretna on Saturday and want to secure their third win on the trot.

MacPherson added: "The last couple of games have been flat but we've won the games. In difficult circumstances we've played some decent stuff.

"No-one can question the players are working hard and this is another game which we want to win."