THERE was at least once conclusion to an ongoing striker saga this week - the long-running investigation into Town’s signing of Jermaine Hylton.

The FA’s £1,000 fine and stiff warning is more cursory than financially damaging, but it does mean the former Redditch United man did end up costing the club money when there was no need for him to do so.

Chairman Lee Power is hailed for his hardball negotiating and has driven some good deals for the club and may be poised to complete another in the form of Jordan Stewart.

With Hylton, however, Power has made a rod for his own back. The process of signing a player from a semi-professional football is pretty straightforward, even moreso if he does not have a contract.

Once a seven-day approach is put in, you cannot talk to the player for that period of time - it is pretty simple.

With a player who is not under contract, you are not even obliged to pay his club, though most offer something; a friendly, a small fee or a bag of kit.

Ask Dave Webb, Mark Collier, John Fisher or any of the other local non-league bosses and they will tell you how business is conducted at that level. Mark Cooper should know full well how it works, having built his managerial career in non-league.

The fact Town did not contest the charge shows they knew they were in the wrong. When Power admitted to talking to player in an article on totalswindonsport.com, after having put in the seven days, it meant they had little choice but to admit their guilt.

Sadly, it is a situation that demonstrates the flaws in Power’s attitude. He wants to do things his way, seemingly regardless of the consequences.

If any demonstration was needed to his carefree attitude, the chairman’s WhatsApp profile is pretty startling. Power’s avatar is a picture of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, with the strapline ‘your imperial leader has spoken’.

In this instance, his willing to ride roughshod over protocol has cost his club; not a great deal, but it was something avoidable.

For the club’s sake, let us hope he learns his lesson.