Do the SFL rules permit clubs to field trialists all season round?

If they do, has a trialist ever scored an important goal, ie a goal which seals promotion for a team, or keeps them up? If so, what happened to the player afterwards - were they signed or just forgotten about?

A trialist is only allowed to play 3 league games & not permitted to play in any of the cups.

Not sure if you can have a trialist after the normal transfer deadline day so doubt that has ever happened.

Rule 49.2 of the SFL Rulebook:

"Trialists may not play or be listed as a substitute in any Championship match after 31st March in any season except with the prior consent of the League Management Committee."

In other words unless you are without a keeper you've got no chance of being allowed to field a Trialist in April (and even then I recall clubs in the past being refused permission to bring a keeper in). I very much doubt therefore that a Trialist has ever actually scored a crucial goal. You'd have to be miles clear to seal promotion in March and even if you did it wouldn't be that crucial if you'd another month to get the required point.

It happened in England a few seasons back when Carlisle signed a keeper on loan (I think his name was Jimmy Glass), and Carlisle needed a win in their last match of the season to stay in the Football League.

They were drawing 1-1 in injury time when they were awarded a corner, the keeper came up for it and scored.

Don't think Carlisle signed him permenantly though.

He wasn't a Trialist though. He was signed on loan (as you said yourself).

Played just those three games for Carlisle. They couldn't come to a financial arrangement to sign him permanently.

Jimmy Glass wasn't a trialist though he was signed on loan.

Thanks. I thought there would probably be some rule like that.

Yes, my mistake.

Alright, I get the message

Roy Essandoh anyone?

He responded to an appeal on teletext by Wycombe Wanderers for a striker and later went on to score a last-minute goal after coming on as a substitute to beat Leicester City and secure a semi-final place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbytxSqAhxY

Jimmy Glass wasn't a trialist by the way. He was signed on loan

Unreal story can't remember that at the time aswell!

It says he was on a week to week contract so I don't think he was a trialist, close enough though.

Thanks for putting me right on that one

What exactly is a trialist? Can you play a player on someone else's books in your association as a trialist or must he be from a different league set-up? Can you play a guy from the terracing as a trialist if your left-back doesn't turn up or must he be registered somewhere?

Big Roy was on Motherwell's books for a while before he scored that goal for Wycombe. He was handed a contract afterwards but it never turned out very well. I think he was however classed as a trialist in this FA Cup match. I remember turning on MOTD to see that goal and was gobsmacked to see it was none other than ex 'Well player Essandoh scoring.

He was just as bad a Callum Elliot at Motherwell. Infact possibly worse!

Might not have been a vital goal, but Airdrieonians played a trialist from Dalry in the late 80s (Paul Curran IIRC) and he played in only one game and scored - guess who it was against?

Can anyone answer this question?

I don't think that someone registered with another club could play as a trialist either in his own association or from a different league set up, if he is already registered with a club then that would surely have to be a loan arrangement?

If I'm right with that, then only an unregistered player could play as a trialist. From memory, if a player is a trialist, you annotate the team line with "TR" beside his name and then on the reverse you mark his full name, date of birth, address and their last registered club. If he was already registered elsewhere then the loan arrangement would be required.

I'm guessing therefore that you probably could play a guy from the terracing if your left back doesn't turn up (although that could only be in league games as you can't play trialists in cup matches).

In short: a trialist is an unregistered player who is turning out on a temporary basis for a team.

A good wee video on the Jimmy Glass game.

He was on loan, by the way. He WAS NOT a trialist!

Are you sure? I heard we was on loan.

A player currently registered with a Junior club can play as a trialist for a Senior club. It's relatively common. The Junior club has to grant permission though. The same loosely applies to Amateur players but there is no formal registration for the players of amateur clubs in amateur competitions (I believe). It's less common for Seniors to play Amateur trialists (because of the quality gap) but the smaller clubs in the Juniors do it all the time for league matches. Again, permission is needed from the Amateur club.

I believe both of those posts are correct entirely as regards official senior league matches.

We have already named a junior trialist (with permission) on our bench this season at one point, though he wasn't used.

There doesn't appear to be any restriction on playing trialists registered for other clubs in "official" friendlies though. Cammy Bell turned out for us in several pre-season friendlies with permission from Kilmarnock before we actually signed him on loan.

EDITED to add: You could certainly play a guy off the terracing if you needed to in an emergency in a league match provided he wasn't registered to anyone else. We named our first team coach Stevie Morrison as a Trialist sub keeper on a couple of occasions last season which is effectively the same thing.

Moussa Dagnongo scored the winner for St.Mirren against Dundee last time we were in the SPL. He was then handed a contract and was crap! Wasn't an important game or anything. I seem to recall that he wore the number 5 jersey, while on the pitch at the same time was Barry McLaughlin wearing the number 5 jersey. I may be wrong about that one though!

That was a keeper for the Thistle game, yes? Who was he?

Manager didn't want him named publicly at the time so I don't think I'm in a position to do so now. Sorry.

There was a little speculation on here at the time if you track down the match thread. I think at least one poster named him (or got very close).

What's the big secret from Chisholm's perspective? His own club were happy for him to be there.

Edit: found it eventually but I really don't see what the fuss is about. It's not as if Chisholm's discovered the next Craig Gordon...

No idea. I agree.

But having been told he wasn't to be named it's not in my remit to do so here.

I suppose it's possible his own club were happy for him to be there so long as he wasn't named?

JIMMY GLASS WAS ONLY ON LOAN, ffs.

I remember a Brora Rangers player scoring for Hibs at I think Celtic in the late seventies in a league game.
I think his name was James MacKay. Hibs were wearing purple strips?
They did not even sign him.
That could not happen today with registrations etc.

Maybe someone can confirm this.