The Elland Road club last Friday accepted the Football League's offer of an independent panel to hear the case and had been waiting for a date to be found.

With the League One season due to end on May 3, United had called for as early a date as possible for the three-man panel to listen to evidence from both sides.

Nothing has been said publicly on when that will be, but the Yorkshire Post has learned the hearing will take place in the week commencing April 14.

Leeds will have just three games remaining at that stage of the campaign with the two away trips to Millwall and Yeovil Town being followed by the visit of Gillingham to Elland Road on the final day.

If United were successful in reclaiming some or all of the 15 points deducted on the eve of the new season for what the League consider to be a failure to follow insolvency policy, the League table would have a drastically altered look.

Gary McAllister's side sit eighth with 12 games remaining at the moment, but without the points deduction they would be in the second automatic promotion place.

The three-man panel who will hear the case will consist of a neutral Court of Appeal judge plus one representative apiece nominated by Leeds and the League.

Four players left Elland Road yesterday, the most notable departure that of loan signing Stephen O'Halloran. He has been forced to return to Aston Villa without playing a game for United after sustainng cruciate damage in the warm-up at Swindon on Saturday.

The three other players on their way out are midfield player Curtis Weston, 21, who has joined Championship strugglers Scunthorpe until the end of the season; Leon Constantine, who has made a temporary switch to Oldham for a month, and Ian Westlake, who has joined Brighton on loan.