Jonny Hayes will be able to play against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final despite helping the hoops into the last four of the competition.
The 33-year-old made what turned out to be his final Celtic appearance in the 1-0 win over St Johnstone on March 1 to earn Neil Lennon’s side a place in the semi-final draw. He also played in the previous round against Clyde.
Hayes replaced Greg Taylor in the 76th minute with Ryan Christie scoring the only goal of the game soon after.
This morning the SFA announced:
- Players who have previously played for another team during the 2019/20 competition will not be cup-tied.
• Clubs will be permitted to use five substitutes, as per the changes to the Laws of the Game agreed by IFAB.
In every other season a player has only been allowed to play for one club in the Scottish Cup but now the SFA have decided to change the rules.
With the semi-finals being played on October 31 and November 1 the four remaining clubs are now free to strengthen their squad from players that have already appeared in the competition.
Celtic have been linked with Scott McKenna at various stages over the last two years, it is highly unlikely but the Aberdeen defender could now play a role in putting the Dons out of the competition.
Hearts will be the main team to benefit from the rule change with Robbie Neilson virtually given a free hand to rebuild his relegated squad for a semi-final against city rivals Hibs.