FORMER Hereford United skipper Luke Graham admits he’s astonished his former club is allowed to register players – despite owing wages to ex-players and staff.

Graham says he feels sorry for everyone who has ‘put their heart and soul into the football club’ and believes the fans have been let down by the Southern League.

Former caretaker boss Pete Beadle said he was ‘lost for words’ and urged the football authorities to ‘get to grips’ with the crisis at Edgar Street.

The Football Conference imposed a transfer embargo on United after the club failed to pay money owed to HMRC.

Hereford United spokesman Joel Nathan said the club would be putting forward a Company Voluntary Arrangement proposal to creditors.

And the fixtures for the new Southern League season are being released today with Hereford United in the Premier Division.

Graham, who now plays for Alfreton, said: “I think everyone wants closure now. To allow a club to register players where there are a set of players and staff still owed money, sums up football.

“The problems won’t go away and I feel sorry for the people who have put their heart and soul into the football club.

“There are people who care deeply about the club and the Hereford United Supporters Trust are doing things for the right reasons.

“The Southern League are probably thinking that Hereford United are a big draw but they are not supporting the people who are owed money by the club.

“There are people who care deeply about the club and the Hereford United Supporters Trust are doing things for the right reasons.

“People will fight for it until the end.

“I know that the fixture list will be out with Hereford United’s name on it.

“It’s hard to know how to feel at the moment.

“The way that the new owners have gone about their business has been wrong

“They walked into a right mess but the previous regime were not great either.”

Former caretaker boss Beadle said he had contacted the Southern League – but remained in the dark.

“For all the former players and staff there is no point of contact. We do not have a direct contact and that is a crazy situation," he said.

“We need someone to get to grips with it – whether it’s the PFA, FA, Southern League or the Football League.

“There doesn’t seem to be a governing body who are getting to grips with this problem.

He added: “Lots of money is owed and a new regime has come in to the club and agreed to take over the debts but that has not happened.

“But the club has been expelled from the Conference and accepted into a new league and are now free to register players when they haven’t even paid their former staff.”

Southern League secretary Jason Mills declined to comment on the criticism and says he will be issuing a statement ‘in due course’.

He confirmed: “The Football Conference put in place the embargo, not the Southern League therefore, at present, Hereford United can register players.”