Ian Appleyard: Still time for Beckford to walk away from Elland Road as a hero

Manager Simon Grayson and, indeed, the majority of the club's supporters, felt that keeping Beckford was vitally important in order to secure promotion from League One.

At that stage, Leeds were top of the table and still celebrating that shock FA Cup victory over hated rivals Manchester United.

Jump forward three months and the wisdom of that decision is now wide open to question.

Beckford has scored just five league goals in 2010 and Leeds have not only dropped out of the top two but are flirting with the possibility of missing out on the play-offs. Such a change in fortunes, for both player and club, was more or less unimaginable at Christmas.

With 17 wins from 23 games, Leeds had the promotion race firmly by the scruff of the neck.

Beckford reached 20 goals by scoring the winner at Old Trafford and a host of clubs were queueing up for his signature.

Newcastle United had a 1.8m offer rejected in the New Year transfer window – and that was the moment when Leeds's season reached a crossroads.

Hindsight, of course, is a wonderful thing but, if Leeds could turn the clock back now, do you really think they would still say 'no'?

It is widely rumoured that Beckford is to join Everton this summer. As an out-of-contract player, his wages will be hugely inflated by the fact that his new employers will not have to pay a transfer fee to Leeds.

Between now and then, Leeds have a player who knows his future lies elsewhere, a player whose recent performances indicate that his mind is already elsewhere.

Of course, the supporters would have been up in arms if Beckford had been sold mid-season, no doubt accusing the club of lacking ambition and selling off the crown jewels.

A similar scenario hit Sheffield United last season when striker James Beattie was sold for 3.5m to Stoke City.

The decision sparked instant outrage from the fans yet the Blades still moved up the table after his departure and were unlucky not to win promotion to the Premier League.

If Leeds had sold Beckford, they would have been able to sign a replacement with a real hunger.

Someone like Billy Sharp, for example, who has been banging in the goals on loan for Doncaster Rovers.

But Grayson had no reason to suspect that Beckford's form would dip so alarmingly, no way of knowing that the Beckford of today would be a pale shadow of the one that terrorised defences earlier this season.

Former Leeds manager Kevin Blackwell admitted last week that 'out of contract' players do not want to get injured at this stage of the season.

He was talking about his own players at Sheffield United but could just as easily have been talking about the Leeds striker.

On Saturday, Beckford's relationship with the Leeds supporters reached breaking point. He was booed for pulling out of a challenge and, after an angry jesture to the crowd, he was substituted.

Any player who has scored 81 goals in three seasons, including a winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford, should be a hero at Elland Road.

There is still enough time for the 26-year-old to put things right by shooting Leeds to promotion. Only then will he be entitled to walk away with his head held high.