They immediately began to attack with greater guile, and were duly rewarded by a 64th-minute goal. The absence of Leeds' regular full-backs, Gary Kelly and Tony Dorigo, was all the incentive they needed, and with Ian Bogie prompting deftly, Vale deserved their interval lead.Naylor, volleying over, and Guppy, shooting hastily when Leeds were caught by a counter-attack, wasted good opportunities. Yet faced with the team lying 23rd in that section, they seemed strangely lacking confidence and cohesion. Vale's captain, Andy Porter, promised in the programme to follow McAllister everywhere - "to the toilet if necessary" - and with the Scot's service restricted, Leeds failed to test Paul Musselwhite for the first hour.Vale's wingers, Jon McCarthy and Steve Guppy, had done much to undermine the Cup holders, Everton, in the previous round.

Howard Wilkinson, who said afterwards that he had berated his players at the break, seems loath to admit it, but there is no substitute for the kind of craft the Swede brought to his attack. Vale's catalyst, Naylor, was forced to depart the fray soon after Brolin's emergence, a development that also tipped the balance Leeds' way.Barely 48 hours earlier they had disposed of a middling First Division side, Birmingham, to reach the Coca-Cola Cup final. However, he will be allowed to complete his benefit, which will include a testimonial match.. Football PHIL SHAW Port Vale 1 Leeds United 2An exquisitely placed free-kick by Gary McAllister, betraying the Leeds captain's origins as a schoolboy golf international, ended Port Vale's excellent adventure in this season's FA Cup with less than 90 seconds remaining in last night's fifth-round replay at Burslem.Leeds, who now receive the winners of tonight's tie between Liverpool and Charlton on 10 March, could count themselves somewhat fortunate to reach the quarter-finals for only the second time in 19 years.Outplayed in the first half, during which Tony Naylor fired Vale in front, they equalised through a McAllister header but were still living dangerously when the same player struck again with extra time looming.The appearance of Tomas Brolin was central to Leeds' improvement after the interval. Saints have put their long-serving Australian, Phil Veivers, who has been interesting Huddersfield, on the transfer list at pounds 25,000.The 31-year-old Australian, who is in his 12th season at Knowsley Road, had only been offered a contract for the Centenary season and not a longer- term Super League one.

"We have been approached, but it is a non-starter," Huddersfield's managing director, Les Coulter, said.The other semi-final, between St Helens and Widnes on 9 March, will be played at Wigan's Central Park. Bradford will play their Silk Cut Challenge Cup semi-final against Leeds in Compaq-sponsored and redesigned shirts, as well as the Wembley final - if they win - and the forthcoming European Super League season.That match, on 23 March, has been allocated to the Alfred McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield, but Huddersfield's new signing, Garry Schofield, will not be able to play for his former club, Leeds, on loan. However, like the planned Super League tour of Australia and New Zealand, that now hangs in the balance.Brian Smith, the coach and chief executive of the Bradford Bulls, who maintains close links with both factions in Australia, believes that those vital post-season events might yet be salvaged. "The ARL needs the income as well and Ken Arthurson will be statesman-like enough to offer that option to Britain," he said.That would raise questions, though, over whether the ARL would be prepared to come to terms with a British administration under its present leadership and whether News Corporation would let Britain play against the ARL."My feeling is that the play-offs are safe," Smith said at the launch of a new sponsorship deal with Compaq Computers that will see the Bulls' players subject to computerised analysis.

British clubs, already alarmed by their financial position, need the prospect of the projected play-offs in the World Club Championship this October. Its dream of a new elite competition which can start in the foreseeable future is, however, in tatters. That also leaves an inevitable question mark over the fate of the parallel organisation in Britain, where clubs accepted an pounds 87m offer from Murdoch to link up with Super League.The League in Britain was refusing to comment yesterday, but an emergency meeting of its board of directors is scheduled for tomorrow. That raises the spectre of Super League-aligned clubs such as the Brisbane Broncos and the Canberra Raiders fielding "back-yard" sides of reserves and juniors in the ARL competition, thus reducing it to a farce."We intend to start this weekend, subject to a meeting with all the clubs tomorrow," the ARL's chairman, Ken Arthurson, said.One club, the Perth-based Western Reds, are planning a six week tour to Britain if Super League is prevented from going ahead, while one of Australia's leading players, Canberra's Laurie Daley, says he is considering playing Australian Rules as well as joining a British club.Both sides will make further submissions to the judge next Wednesday, and Super League is to appeal against the decisions so far. Rugby League DAVE HADFIELD Rupert Murdoch's Australian Super League has been forced into the ignominious climb-down of cancelling its first round of fixtures this weekend.The rebel competition, which was due to kick off on Friday, has been blocked by a temporary injunction in Sydney, following a ruling in the Federal Court that it is unlawful.In another temporary ruling, Judge James Burchett ordered the eight clubs who have signed to Murdoch's New Corporation to play in the rival Australian 's 20-team competition, which is also due to begin this weekend.The ARL might also delay its kick-off, however, because players from those eight breakaway clubs have insisted that they will not play in the ARL's competition. They have employed their wicketkeeper's swinging bat to score quick runs in the early overs, but he is now expected to drop down the order and allow Andrew Hudson to return as opener against the menace of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.Pakistan plan to keep faith with opener Aamir Sohail, who went cheaply in their first two matches "He is our main player," said Wasim, their captain "You can't drop him after two games Perhaps he is saving himself for the best games.". Rhodes has been declared fit for Thursday's Group B match against Pakistan.