STRIKER Marc-Antoine Fortune has signed a one-year deal with National League Chesterfield after a proposed move to Swindon Town hit a financial stumbling block.

The Spireites, relegated from League Two last season, swooped for the former Premier League frontman, who goes straight into their squad for tomorrow's season opener at Ebbsfleet United.

Chesterfield boss Martin Allen told his club's website: "He has experience, hunger and desire and he will fit in perfectly well with all our squad.

"I've been tracking him for a good few weeks and I thought he was signing for a team in the league above, but last night he called me and we got a deal done.

"He left London this morning at 6am and he was up here to sign at 8.30am. He goes straight into our squad for tomorrow's game.''

Hopes of Town signing former West Brom and Celtic striker Fortune appeared to fade yesterday, with Town chief Phil Brown admitting the 37-year-old's wage requirements were the problem.

Fortune had been training with the Town squad for 10 days and featured in the club’s pre-season friendly at local non-league side Swindon Supermarine a week ago.

Despite clear interest from Brown, negotiations stalled, although Brown insisted the door remained wide open for the former Baggies striker.

Speaking at yesterday's pre-match media briefing ahead of the League Two opener against Macclesfield at the County GrounBrown said yesterday: “I was quite hopeful - and I still am hopeful - when it comes to signing Marc-Antoine Fortune.

“But at the same time, the negotiations have stalled because his demands are quite excessive.

“That’s not to say Marc is being greedy, but he hasn’t had the use of an agent and therefore he might think the market down here is what he thinks it is – when it’s not.

“He has to come down a peg or two before we accept his services, but the door is not closed completely.

“There’s still talking to do, but at the same time Marc has to make his mind up.

“We’re not just chasing one striker, there are a number of targets we’ve been chasing for three or four weeks. Fingers crossed we’ll land one.”

Former Coventry City and Oxford United midfielders Kyel Reid and Alfie Potter were the two other trialists Brown welcomed to train with the Town squad at their Beversbrook base in Calne this week.

Reid failed to impress Brown enough during the club’s concluding pre-season friendly against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, while Potter’s decision to sit out that game and the clash against Supermarine before that made Brown’s mind up over whether or not to keep him on full-time.

He added: “Alfie (Potter) made his bed to a certain extent last Friday when he refused to play.

“He didn’t want to put himself out there in case he got injured.

“I don’t particularly subscribe to that. We’ve had five or six weeks of intensive training now and the players are flying, they’re bouncing.

“I can’t wait to let them express themselves on Saturday – it’s like I’m a teenager again, I’m that excited.

“But if you’re a player that’s not in contract you cannot go into a gym, you just fail. You can’t keep as fit as players that have joined a club.

“Alfie didn’t want to play on Friday, he didn’t want to play on Tuesday and subsequently he hasn’t trained with us this week.”