Shearer grateful for home draw

NEWCASTLE skipper Alan Shearer set his sights on another FA Cup semi-final appearance after his side were handed a home draw in the last eight yesterday.

The draw rewarded the Magpies for ending Chelsea's quadruple bid with a quarter-final against either Tottenham or Nottingham Forest at St James' Park.

Spurs and Forest fought out a 1-1 draw on Sunday and will meet again in a replay at the City Ground a week on Wednesday.

"It's a great draw," said Shearer, a losing finalist with Newcastle in 1998 and 1999.

"We couldn't have asked for any more than to get a home tie it's what all the teams left in the draw wanted. It has given us an excellent chance of progressing."

Holders Manchester United were handed a trip to the winners of the replay between Brentford and Southampton, and Arsenal will travel to Bolton if they can overcome Sheffield United.

The winners of the tie between east Lancashire rivals Burnley and Blackburn, who drew 0-0 on Sunday, will face Coca-Cola Championship opposition in Leicester.

Magpies assistant boss Terry McDermott admitted he was relieved to have avoided United and Arsenal.

"Getting a home draw is the most important thing and we'd have taken anyone, but like anyone else we wanted to avoid Arsenal and United."

He accepts however that Newcastle still have a difficult task to reach the semi-finals of a competition that could provide a first major trophy since 1969.

Southampton manager Harry Redknapp welcomed the opportunity of a home tie against Alex Ferguson's side but admitted there was still hard work to be done against Brentford first.

Saints led the Bees 2-0 at St Mary's on Saturday but the League One side fought back to take the tie back to Griffin Park.

Brentford boss Martin Allen was trying not to get too excited about the prospect of a home tie against United with Southampton still to negotiate.

He said: "I can't deny it's very exciting the opportunity to play one of the best teams in the world but the big word is if. We've still got to beat a Premiership club but if we do that, it'll be like a lottery win for this club."

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside is hoping the prospect of a meeting with Arsenal will persuade Trotters' fans to turn up in significant numbers.

Just 16,000 people were at the Reebok to see the Wanderers beat Fulham in the fifth round on Saturday and Gartside accused the Bolton fans of letting down their team.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger welcomed the possibility of another chance to visit the Reebok. He said: "If we beat Sheffield United, then it's a good opportunity to put things right as we have lost at Bolton 1-0 earlier this season. Firstly, we have a difficult away tie and then another one."

Leicester manager Craig Levein is quietly confident his team can beat whoever wins the Burnley-Blackburn replay after disposing of Premiership Charlton on Saturday.

"I do think this is a match that, if we continue our form, we've got a reasonable chance of winning," he said.