Alan Smith hearing date changed

The Football Association have brought Alan Smith’s disciplinary hearing next month forward by 24 hours because the original date clashed with Leeds’ Premier League clash with Newcastle on January 7.

The striker has admitted a charge of improper conduct after he threw a bottle back into the crowd during Leeds’ Carling Cup clash with Manchester United at Elland Road on October 28.

An FA spokesman said: “We can now confirm that Alan Smith’s hearing will take place on Tuesday, January 6 after consultation with his club.”

It is the second time in as many months that the FA have had to swiftly back-track on a decision concerning Smith.

He was selected by England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson for the friendly with Denmark but was then dropped from the squad after it emerged he had been arrested by West Yorkshire Police for the bottle-throwing incident.