City must wait a further three weeks to see if they will have to cough up for Mark Stewart.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport have put back the deadline for their ruling from this Saturday to Friday, February 7.

The decision to extend it - which CAS said is due to "unforeseen circumstances - will be seen by the club as potentially good news.

They currently stand to fork out £217,000 to Falkirk in training compensation plus costs, amounting to around £250,000.

City appealed FIFA's ruling and that hearing took place at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne in Switzerland on November 25.

The longer it takes for the panel to deliberate, the more City will feel they have put forward a strong case.

It is understood that the club have already put the money aside should their fight to overturn the cash demand fail.