Questions have been raised whether Hereford United fielded Paul Mahony today without him being eligible to play.
Mahony last played for Hereford United 28 days ago today - in the loss to Burnham - before joining Westfields on loan the following week and debuting for them on September 6th - 21 days ago. The loan was described by Jon Taylor as being a 28 day loan - the minimum term allowed for a short term loan deal - meaning he should still have been eligible to play for Westfields today and not at Edgar Street.
The FA's standardised rules state:
6.6.2 Short Term Loan Transfers – A Club can have up to a maximum of twelve (12) Short Term Loans during a Playing Season. The minimum period of a Short Term Loan transfer must be twenty-eight (28) days with a maximum of ninety-three (93) days in any one Playing Season.
Players other than goalkeepers may not be recalled within the first month, i.e. 28 days, of any loan.
Unlike other Leagues, the Southern League do not publish their specific rulebook on their website, but they are understood to be running the standardised rules.