LEEDS skipper Paul Butler has set United a target of 60 points to stave off the threat of relegation.

Butler, 32, knows that if cash-crippled Leeds go into administration they will be docked ten league points.

As the Championship table stands at the moment, that would plunge them into the bottom three with just 27 points.

With Royal Mail chief Allan Leighton emerging as a member of Norman Stubbs' Yorkshire business consortium which is looking to take over the club, Butler called for a swift end to uncertainty over the club's future.

Stubbs has gone on record saying that United's future could be secure within a week - and the Leeds skipper is urging the powers that be to get off-the-field matters sorted out as a matter of urgency.

He said: "We need to reach 60 points as quickly as possible because then they can take ten away and it shouldn't damage things.

"If we do go into administration and they deduct ten points then we would rather see it happen now, so we are not left with six or seven games to avoid relegation.

"The young lads are uncertain about what might happen. They have enough on their plates without all this.

"It does play on your mind because we are trying to get as many points as possible on the board."

Leighton resigned as Leeds' deputy chairman just over a year ago to launch a rescue bid before the present board took control.

He withdrew plans to invest £2million in the club at the time but is now back as one of Stubbs' potential backers.

The collapse of Sebastien Sainsbury's takeover attempt is a blow as he had planned to buy back Elland Road and the club's Thorp Arch training complex.

It is understood United are paying £1.2million per year in rent for Elland Road and £420,000 a year for Thorp Arch.

Midfield duo Eirik Bakke and Seth Johnson gave Leeds a boost yesterday by completing 65 minutes of a practice match behind closed doors at Darlington.

The pair who have been out of first team action all season after knee surgery, made their comeback in the reserves last week with a 45- minute run-out against Sunderland.

Manager Kevin Blackwell said: "Eirik and Seth came through unscathed at Darlington, which is a bit of good news for a change. The pitch wasn't too bad so they were able to play a bit longer and move closer to a full 90 minutes."

Iceland midfielder Gylfi Einarsson, who missed the first team's 1-1 draw against Cardiff on Saturday with a dead leg, completed 70 minutes of the 3-0 defeat at Darlington with no problems.

More good news is that striker Brian Deane returned to full training yesterday and could be back sooner than expected. Deane damaged his shoulder in the home win against Plymouth on December 28 when it was thought he would be out for up to six weeks.

Lucas Radebe is stepping up his bid for fitness and hopes to join in first team training next month. The South African international defender, who is in his testimonial season, has been out since rupturing an Achilles tendon at Wolves in the third match of the season, but is back running at Thorp Arch.

Updated: 10:35 Wednesday, January 19, 2005