The club has copped more than a few unfair calls in recent seasons, and the 2023-24 A-League campaign is following that trend with their latest setback cementing the club as the competition's whipping boy.

Remember just last season when Canberra were wrongfully docked three points at a crucial time over an incorrect substitution breach decision which forced them to appeal the later overturned call?

Or when this season's Unite Round was announced and saw Canberra lose a home game for the Sydney-based soccer festival?

This week the licks kept coming as it was confirmed United's round five game against the Wanderers on Saturday had been postponed to January, and then on Thursday the date changed to March 13 in Sydney.

The news came a week after Canberra's round four clash against Sydney FC was also postponed at short notice because of the Sky Blues' AFC Women's Club Championship game in Uzbekistan.

The Wanderers had announced a fortnight ago that their original fixture hosted in Bathurst couldn't be played there due to weather impacting the pitch preparation.

In those two weeks, neither the Wanderers or the Australian Professional Leagues that run the A-League Women could find a suitable replacement ground in Sydney - a large city filled with rectangular grounds - due to "scheduled turf renovation periods".

"It is imperative that we have fit-for-purpose venues for all A-League Women games, these measures include; quality of pitch, broadcast infrastructure, commercial suitability, hospitality, security (including a completely enclosed ground), ticketing, fan and player facilities," the APL said in a statement.

The result is that United now won't play until next Sunday November 26, when they host the Newcastle Jets at McKellar Park.

The rescheduled Wanderers and Sydney FC games mean United also have to face a monster January and March with five matches in each month.

It's something that simply would not happen in the A-League Men, and just months after the biggest Women's World Cup, it makes the nation's top domestic women's competition look amateur.

READ MORE CANBERRA UNITED NEWS:

Instead of competing in their fifth match this weekend and working up some form for their title campaign like other clubs have, United have had a disruptive month and a half with only three games played.

Canberra fans would rightly be feeling like their team are the league's punching bag right now, and it tends to hit a nerve in these parts after what other codes have experienced too - lest they forget the NRL's infamous desire for the Raiders to "wither on the vine" and collapse.

Parallel to this debacle, it certainly doesn't help that repeated setbacks are hurting Canberra United - currently run by the chief executive-less Capital Football - just as the APL are trying to sell an A-League Men licence to new owners. The way United has been treated, you wouldn't blame investors for getting cold feet if this is going to be the norm.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: