Today is a bleak day for York City and their supporters.

The news that star striker Clayton Donaldson is to join Hibernian is a body-blow to all connected with the club.

Realistically, we knew he would not stay at City forever. A player of his pedigree, and with such an impressive goal-scoring record, was always going to attract interest from bigger clubs.

But the manner of his departure is a bitter pill to swallow.

That City will receive no fee for a player they brought into the spotlight is bad enough.

But to lose him because of an apparent loophole in football regulations rubs handfuls of salt into the wound.

City turned down £200,000 for Donaldson because they felt he was the man to help the club and its fans achieve their goal - promotion back into the Football League.

A return to the top flight is worth about £400,000 to City. Add increased gate receipts and extra commercial revenues, and you can see why the board would listen only to offers around the £1/2 million mark.

But the player's agent brokered a deal north of the border, where Scottish football laws mean that City will be denied any form of compensation for a striker who has yet to turn 23.

The mega riches of clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United may make the figures involved seem like a drop in the footballing ocean.

But for teams like York, who have invested time, money and considerable effort grooming the talents of Donaldson, it may be the difference between long-term security and the constant struggle to stay in business.