• Both clubs used an ineligible player in the same match • Hereford have three points deducted, Torquay lose one

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Hereford United have been docked three points and Torquay United one after both fielded an ineligible player in the same League Two match.

A Football League disciplinary hearing in Bristol also fined both clubs £10,000, with £7,500 understood to be suspended until the end of the season.

Hereford have revealed their intention to appeal against the decision while Torquay are considering their options.

Rob Purdie is the Hereford player at the centre of what they, at the time, described as a "genuine administrative oversight in the very hectic hours leading up to the transfer deadline".

Torquay's striker Jake Robinson, on loan from Shrewsbury, was not eligible to play in the 1 February fixture either, which the Bulls won 3-1 at Plainmoor.

Hereford's chairman David Keyte told their official website: "I am very disappointed at the outcome, we will definitely be appealing the decision."

Keyte's response was similar to that of the Torquay director Bill Phillips, who said: "We are obviously disappointed. We have 28 days to appeal so there is time to consider our options."

The rulings have the potential to cause a stir at either end of the League Two table, with Hereford starting the day just eight points above the relegation zone and Torquay occupying the final play-off place, by a single point.

As it stands, should the rulings be upheld, Hereford would drop from 19th to 21st while Torquay would cling on to seventh spot on goal difference over Gillingham.

Both Purdie and Robinson played the entire 90 minutes of the match, with the latter opening the scoring. However both signings had not been completed by the required deadline the previous day, the final day of the mid-season transfer window on 31 January.

Torquay signed Robinson on a deal which is currently running until the end of the season.

Purdie had been at Edgar Street on loan from Oldham since October but, having had his contract terminated by the Latics by mutual consent on 31 January, signed a permanent deal with Hereford as a free agent.

Both clubs reported their mistakes to the Football League as soon as it was discovered, but they still appear to have paid the price for their errors.