Waterford United manager Paul Power was in confident mood yesterday as his team completed their preparations for this evening's Harp Lager FAI Cup semi-final replay at Longford. Winning cup replays has become something of a party-piece for the first division side recently and if it wasn't for the fact that the same can be said of their hosts then the result might have looked like a bit of a foregone conclusion.

Power pointed to the fact that his side's away form has been consistently better than their performances at home since last summer and here, on the face of it, he appears to have one up on his opposite number, Stephen Kenny, for Longford have lost five of their 14 home league games and have yet to win at Strokestown Road in the cup.

Kenny expects to be without Paul McNally this evening, with the central defender having picked up an ankle injury on Sunday. In his absence the Longford manager must decide on whether to leave Stuart Byrne in defence and bring either Stephen Kelly or Stuart Holt into midfield, or just draft in former Waterford defender Sean Riordan to play against his old club.

For the visitors, meanwhile, Paul Cashin looks set to come in for the suspended Alan Reynolds.

Leeds manager David O'Leary's fears of having to raise funds to finance the Robbie Keane deal have been eased following a compromise agreement with Inter Milan.

Keane arrived at Elland Road in December, with Leeds having paid £1 million to Inter to take the 20-year-old on loan for the remainder of the season. It was expected Leeds would then pay the Italian giants the remaining £11 million on the transfer this summer.

Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale, however, has thrashed out a deal which sees Inter receiving payments over the next three years, with the full amount not paid up until the summer of 2004.

Keane, who is on a five-year contract that keeps him at the club until 2006, said "It's all sorted out."