AS RYAN Harley disappeared off down the M5 to train with Exeter this week, it was a more symbolic journey than many gave it credit for.

This is not because the former Grecian was returning to the club with whom he enjoyed his most fruitful spell.

In fact it had more meaning for the club he left behind. Harley is what many would describe as a luxury player – a white-booted fancy, if you will. Certainly not a man found in the thick of a midfield battle.

At Town, he was the last of his kind in Mark Cooper’s squad of driven workers. His disappearance, albeit temporarily, marks the end of the midfield passenger. Few will fret when Harley leaves Swindon for good – he has hardly set the County Ground alight.

However, those inclined towards the languid aesthetic of the luxury midfielder, might mourn the death of the idea he represents. I must admit a fondness for a player considered above the hard work of the mere mortals. A player whose ignorance of defensive responsibility is permitted because, at any time, they can produce a piece of magic to unlock a defence – that flick, weighted pass or dink no one else is capable of.

It is hard to find any examples currently in English football where a midfielder is indulged to the degree afforded previously by the likes of Matt Le Tissier at Southampton or Lee Trundle at Swansea.

Jose Mourinho drew scorn last year for casting aside Chelsea’s reigning player of the season, Juan Mata, because he considered him a luxury. Even Alex Pritchard last season for Town, for all his trickery and creation, was expected to graft.

Argentina seems to be the only country where the production line of Fancy Dans seems never-ending. A certain Mr Messi is just the latest from a lineage that includes Diego Maradona, Juan Veron, Ariel Ortega and Juan Roman Riquelme of recent times.

The idea of Harley appearing in the same sentence as those greats is almost laughable. Less of a joke is the notion that players with only creative intentions are a thing of the past.

This is not a campaign call – Town are hardly lacking in the entertainment factor – just a nudge to not forget about the lazy guy.