Carlisle are United's guests on April 12 for what will be the penultimate home match at Elland Road, and a 12.15pm start was approved last week on the recommendation of West Yorkshire Police.

Leeds felt duty-bound to agree to the request of their local constabulary, though the club have striven to protect three o'clock kick-off times at their own stadium since joining the ranks of League One.

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But their attitude is not always reflective of a division to which Leeds have brought financial benefits and logistical headaches in equal measure.

The alteration of the kick-off time for Carlisle's visit represented the 11th occasion this season when a league match involving Leeds has been moved from its original schedule, affecting almost a quarter of United's entire league fixture list.

Nine of those decisions have been taken on police advice; eight have involved games away from Elland Road.

To date, only two matches – at Crewe on January 14 and at home to Walsall on March 22 – have been shunted to accommodate Sky's schedule for live broadcasts. Leeds' Tuesday night game against Southend United last month was brought forward by 24 hours before reverting back to its original date at short notice leaving numerous supporters to bear the cost of wasted train tickets valid for the previous day.

Lost travel expenses were one of several contentious issues thrown up by the postponement of Saturday's match against Doncaster Rovers.
The noon kick-off scheduled for the Keepmoat Stadium had been instigated by South Yorkshire Police, who also sought to prevent crowd disturbances by imposing a blanket ban on alcohol sales in and around the venue.

The blame for the postponement will fall on the groundstaff who failed to cover a frozen pitch with frost sheets, but the chief executives of both clubs saw irony in the part played by the early start time in preventing the pitch from thawing.

Shaun Harvey, United's chief executive officer, said: "We shouldn't make the mistake of blaming the kick-off time for the fact that the game was postponed. The responsibility ultimately lies with the groundstaff who failed to cover the pitch properly.

"The debate over kick-off times is a different issue, but the point I made on Saturday was that had the game started at three o'clock, it might have passed without any disorder whatsoever.

"As a club, we prefer to see games kicking off at three o'clock because I believe it's what our supporters want.

"We're aware that a lot Leeds fans travel to Elland Road from far beyond the city, and we work closely with the police to make sure that we keep the disruption to a minimum.

"The understanding between us was damaged slightly by the trouble before the Millwall game (in October) but I'd stress that the problems are always caused by a minority. In general, we're very reluctant to see three o'clock kick-offs moved without a good reason.

"But Leeds United have no control over decisions made by other clubs about games involving us. Our fans are visiting a lot of stadiums for the first time this season, at least for the first time in recent memory, and they also travel in very large numbers when our allocation of tickets allows it.

"It's inevitable that there will be a bit of nervousness about the scale of our travelling support and the reputation of our fans, even though that reputation's not always founded. Clubs are always going to err on the side of caution."

The concerns of Gloucestershire Police were behind the decision to hold United's match at Bristol Rovers in September on a Friday night, and the same force were responsible for enforcing a Sunday date for Leeds's outing at Cheltenham Town two months later.

The rearrangement of United's visit to Whaddon Road was brought on by a clash with the switching-on of Christmas lights in the centre of Cheltenham.

Leeds' schedule was complicated further by the request sent by Bournemouth to the Football League for a midweek game at home to Leeds. The application was received before the fixture list was drawn up, and the Football League duly granted Bournemouth's demand.

Their application was made with the support of Dorset Police, and complaints from Leeds supporters of a heavy-handed approach from the constabulary were supported by the sight of police dogs lined across the pitch after United's 3-1 win at Dean Court in November. Reports of genuine disturbances were few in number.

There have been examples of football-related violence involving United this season, notably in Carlisle and before the October clash with Millwall. The trouble seen before the Millwall match may mean that the reverse fixture at the New Den on April 19 is added to the list of altered fixtures.

A spokesman for the Leeds United Supporters Club said: "What we'd look for is a bit more consideration.

"We're well aware that supporters are at the bottom of football's foodchain but a lot of the changes this season have seemed unnecessary. Bristol Rovers away on a Friday night is probably the best – or worst – example.

"I wouldn't say that Leeds have been made to feel particularly welcome in this league and, while I understand the need to prevent trouble, a bit more common sense would be good. Fans plan well in advance for matches, at home and away."

Leeds have been compelled to change the kick-off times of just three of their matches at Elland Road this season, twice to satisfy West Yorkshire Police and once to allow for their meeting with Walsall to be televised by Sky.

Harvey said: "If a game has to be moved, our preference is that it remains on the same day.

"I also think that if there's a serious enough reason to alter a 3pm kick-off time then it should be put back to noon, rather than 2pm.
"But clubs have decisions to make, and you'd expect that these decisions are taken for the right reasons."