We can expect more of this at the Riverside, doubtlessly.

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RE-REWIND The recent international break has proved to be a goldmine for punishment admin, nicely wrapped up on Wednesday night with the latest chapter of the Southampton Spygate saga.

It sounds like a three-part Netflix documentary – and almost certainly will be one day – but for now, here’s a reminder of what went down; feel free to add your own haunting synth soundtrack … two days before the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final, Middlesbrough staff spotted someone lurking on the perimeter of their training ground and the EFL confirmed “an individual associated with Southampton” was involved.

Southampton won the tie and advanced to the final, but the storm kept building.

After days of uncertainty and wild speculation, Saints were kicked out of the playoffs (and docked four points for the following season) and Boro went to Wembley.

Their opponents, Hull City, threatened their own legal action, which by now we can safely assume is going absolutely nowhere.

Much like Marcelo Bielsa, who met similar accusations of spying at Leeds with a weary shrug and a cache of PowerPoint slides, Saints manager Tonda Eckert emerged as the central figure in the scandal.

An independent disciplinary commission called the scheme “a contrived and determined plan from the top down”, where footage was captured of three opponents: Ipswich, Oxford and Boro.

Amusingly, Southampton failed to win any of the relevant matches – but reports emerged that, in a tribute to Saints legend Kevin Keegan, the manager had “loved it” when presented with the footage.

And who can blame him?

His team had gone to Boro and got something.

Eckert accepted “full responsibility” and proffered his wrist to authorities – but as a relative newcomer to English football, he also employed his own version of the Costanza defence.

Was that wrong?

Should I not have done that?

Tonda Eckert, neatly illustrating that par.

Dragan Solak declared himself ready to “close the chapter and look ahead together”, pending final sanctions.

Away fans kept bringing their binoculars to St Mary’s, but this gripping espionage tale lacked a final act until the latest verdict, when Eckert was hit with, er, a suspended six-week ban and £28,000 fine.

The FA’s lawyers had targeted a potential nine-month suspension, later reduced to three months – but the independent panel found Eckert to be a “particularly impressive witness” who showed “genuine contrition”.

So long as he can avoid concocting a similar scheme in future, Eckert will serve no ban at all; he will be in the dugout for Sunday’s derby against Portsmouth.

Despite the points deduction, Southampton already sit in mid-table and look a decent bet for promotion.

Our preferred punishment – making this the permanent club crest – has also failed to materialise.

A genuinely huge story at the time, Spygate will go down as one of football’s stranger and more pointless transgressions, its final act dwarfed by the news of Manchester City’s many, many charges.

In the end, perhaps there was no point prolonging Eckert’s spell in limbo.

Even if he was banned from attending Southampton’s training sessions in person, we’re pretty sure he would have found a way around it.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Ed Aarons is answering your questions about the Premier League as we type in this Conversation Q&A.

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