Rule bending leaves McCoist baffled

The rule bending and accommodating of Sevco has left £800,000 a year manager Ally McCoist baffled.

After secret negotiations to provide the new club with SFA membership a so-called registration ban was imposed from 1 September 2012 to 1 September 2013.

The formation of the SPFL fortunately wiped out the limit on the number of players aged over 21 that a club could register while the word trialist has been redefined.

As other clubs live within their means publishing audited accounts players such as Nicky Law, Jon Daly, Nicky Clark and Cameron Bell have spoken of their delight at signing lucrative contracts before reverting to trialist status when competitive action gets underway.

Preparing to face Coatbridge giants Albion Rovers in the Ramsdens Cup McCoist sighed: “We can play two trialists on Sunday as long as their international transfer clearances are in Scotland. We can’t play any of the others because their ITCs are not in Scotland.

“In the next round of the Ramsdens, if we get there, we can’t play any
trialists.

“We can’t play any trialists in the League Cup. And in the league we can play two trialists three times as long as their ITC is in Scotland.

“So we won’t see anybody whose ITC is not in Scotland until September 1. It comes as a major disappointment. It completely baffles me how you can play a trialist in the first round of the Ramsdens but can’t in the next round.”

The Ramsdens Cup is for clubs in the bottom three divisions of Scottish football and enjoys a lucrative television deal with BBC Alba showing live matches from every round.