#!/usr/local/bin/php
$data = range(1, 9);
print_r(array_splice($data, 1, -4));
// Array ( [0] => 2 [1] => 3 [2] => 4 [3] => 5 )
print_r($data);
// Array ( [0] => 1 [1] => 6 [2] => 7 [3] => 8 [4] => 9 )