FALMOUTH Town have completed the controversial signing of defender Martin Day from Penryn Athletic. He was transferred in time to play in Town's Carlsberg SWL game at Liskeard Athletic on Saturday.

Athletic had refused permission for Day to be transferred to Town because the Bickland Park club had already submitted seven day's notice of approach on a previous occasion and a second notice for the same player is not permitted under county rules.

Day approached the club, himself, to be released, but when that was refused Athletic received notices of approach from the respective clubs for both Day and Paul Cox, who also wanted to leave to join Truro City.

On this occasion it was for each of them to join the other club and this, said Athletic, was against the ethics of the league's transfer system because they felt the system was being circumvented in order for the players to eventually move to their intended clubs through the "back door."

However, at a Cornwall County FA meeting on Friday evening, the commission decided that the players should be allowed to join the clubs of their choice.

"Both club had put in earlier notices of approach," said county secretary Mr Barry Cudmore "but on the latter occasion it was the players who made the approach intimating they wanted to leave.

"It was felt that as the players were not under contract they should not be prevented from leaving a club if that was their wish. The league was informed that they could sanction the transfers."

Carlsberg SWL secretary Mr Ray Rowe confirmed the transfers: "We were contacted by the county and based upon the information we received from the county officials decided to transfer both Martin Day and Paul Cox."

However, the decision by the county will change the way in which players can now move from clubs. Down the years it has been an accepted practice that once a club had made one attempt to sign a player, to make a second attempt in the same season was out of the question. That rule still applies, but the county's decision effectively throws that part of the rule into the dustbin because non-contract players will now be able to move if they request the transfer.

Penryn Athletic secretary Mr Mike Young said that as far as his club was concerned that would probably be the end of the matter. "We had a protest on the table and we wanted it heard. We may not agree with the outcome, but we have made our point and it is time to move on.

"What this incident has done is to set a precedent in respect of not being able to make a second approach for the same player. All a player needs do now is to go knocking on a secretary's door and get his transfer."