SWINDON Town chairman Lee Power has confirmed that he will soon sit down with representatives of Nile Ranger to discuss the termination of the striker’s contract at the County Ground.

As revealed by the Advertiser on Tuesday, Town’s patience with Ranger has run out after a string of misdemeanours culminating in the forward missing training last Friday following the Boxing Day defeat at Brentford.

Power, who said Ranger had enjoyed “more lives than a cattery”, was originally set to hold talks with the 22-year-old yesterday but they have now been postponed until next week. The Robins owner stressed Ranger would not be training with his teammates at the club’s Liddington base while the issue is resolved.

In an exclusive interview with the Adver, Power said: “We’re frustrated because he’s got such a talent and I don’t think that’s in question. Everyone who’s turned up to see him can say he’s the best forward in this league. He definitely is in my opinion.

“It’s frustrating for everyone at the club because they know they’ve got this talent at the club but we’ve tried very hard to nurture it, we’ve tried this, we’ve tried that, we’ve tried whatever we can but for whatever reason his mind is elsewhere.

“He’s a young lad and he’s got issues going on in his life which are well-documented and it’s got to the point now where we just can’t help any more. We’ve got to think about the rest of the players and the football club.

“I’m the chairman of the club and I’ve got to do what’s best for the club. Unfortunately, what’s best for the club is having to sit down with Nile and talk about parting ways. While this is ongoing Nile is not training with the squad.

“He’s had more lives than a cattery let alone a cat and there’s no more the club can do any more. Luke (Williams) and Mark (Cooper) have tried as much as they can but we’ve got to look at the good of the club now and that’s why we’re reaching this decision.”

Ranger joined Town in the summer following his release by Newcastle and has managed six goals in 19 appearances since signing a one-year deal.

However, his stay at Swindon has been littered with examples of indiscipline. He missed several training sessions in October and November before being granted a leave of absence by the club to prepare for his upcoming court case. Ranger faces a rape charge, which he denies, in Newcastle from January 20.

Having missed three weeks of action as a result of his truancy, Ranger returned as a substitute in the 3-1 win over Carlisle on November 30 but soon went AWOL again and only came back into the side for the 2-1 victory against Coventry on December 21.

He also started at Brentford on Boxing Day, despite having been involved in a car accident on Christmas Day, but failed to report for training on December 27 – cueing Town’s decision to seek the termination of his contract.