LEEDS United will be without skipper Dominic Matteo for their Premiership visit to Gordon Strachan's Southampton on Saturday, January 17.

Matteo was sent off for two bookable offences in the disappointing 3-1 defeat at Wolves yesterday and is banned for the Southampton game.

Ironically, Matteo had won the race to recover from a thigh injury in time to play at Molineux, just two days after limping off the field in the goalless draw against Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

David Batty, who excelled in his 300th League appearance for the club against Villa, served a one-match ban yesterday for reaching five bookings.

Alan Smith is due to appear before an FA hearing next month following the bottle-throwing incident during Leeds' Carling Cup-tie against Manchester United in October.

Originally the FA arranged the hearing for Wednesday, January 7, but when United pointed out that they were due to visit Newcastle in the Premiership on that date, Smith's hearing was brought forward 24 hours.

Caretaker-manager Eddie Gray admitted Wolves "probably deserved to win" yesterday's Premiership six-pointer and warned that his team's passing will have to improve if top flight survival is to be achieved.

United remain second from bottom of the table but are now just three points ahead of Wolves, who have a game in hand.

Gray said: "A successful season for us would be to stay in the Premiership. The boys are working very hard but to stay up they will have to pass the ball better.

"It's tight at the bottom and no, I don't believe anyone who says we're too good to go down, though I still believe we have the ability to climb out of trouble.

"It was disappointing to lose after Michael Duberry scored so early in the game. If you go a goal up against a struggling side you want to score another, but Alan Smith's own goal was one of those unfortunate things that can happen and we never recovered from Wolves' second goal."

Duberry's goal was his second in four matches, after the former Chelsea defender had gone three and a half years without scoring, but Smith's own goal and a double strike from Steffen Iversen saw Wolves to victory.

Eirik Bakke's return to first team action in the games against Villa and Wolves was a boost for Gray who said: "Eirik has done terrifically well to get back from his knee surgery so quickly.

"He has been training very hard and we couldn't wait until mid January for the next reserve game to give him a runout. After making that substitute appearance against Villa he felt he was fit enough to start against Wolves, with David Batty suspended."

Norwegian international Bakke had a knee operation in America after playing twice for his country when he had been advised by Leeds to rest during the summer.

United's home game against Manchester City has been moved from Saturday, March 20, to Monday, March 22 (8pm), for televising by Sky on pay-per-view.

Updated: 11:14 Monday, December 29, 2003