Luck of draw deserts Shearer

IF Alan Shearer's last act as a Newcastle player is to be played out at the Millennium Stadium on May 21, then yesterday the luck of the draw deserted him.

Manchester United, the holders and the team who longed after Shearer a decade ago, and the team he surely wanted to avoid above all others, block Newcastle's route to the FA Cup final.

England's former captain has twice been a losing FA Cup finalist with his hometown club, firstly against Arsenal in 1998 and then a year later when the Red Devils captured the second trophy of their treble-winning season.