He is a convicted felon, who in 2008 spent 74 days at Strangeways for punching a man 20 times

sinister, unpredictable ways, whether in attacking a team-mate – just ask Ousmane Dabo – or in witlessly impugning a dignified figure such as Unsworth.

Entrusting a man of these base impulses with keeping dressingroom harmony is akin to handing your prize porcelain collection over to a rutting stag. His arrival at Fleetwood represents not just a jobs-for-the-boys gesture, but a stubborn conviction that he has reformed. Some hope. By their works shall ye know them, a wise man once said. It is the type of boilerplate proverb you sense Barton might appreciate.