Soccer-Kanu winner brings relief for Redknapp

By Neil Maidment

LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp said he was worried over who was going to score for them after they beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 to reach the FA Cup final for the first time since 1939 on Saturday.

Portsmouth won their semi-final at Wembley with a 54th minute goal from Nwankwo Kanu against his old club.

Redknapp said that without cup-tied striker Jermain Defoe, who has scored eight goals since arriving at Portsmouth from Tottenham Hotspur in January, he was not sure who was going to be their match-winner.

"I didn't think we were overflowing with goals. We've relied on Defoe to score and of course he was not here today," he told a news conference.

"Kanu hadn't scored for a while, Milan Baros is yet to score for us and the likes of Lassana Diarra and Papa Boupa Diop are not goalscorers.

"We had a couple of chances to finish it and I thought we needed a second, but standing on the touchline I always think it has to be something special to beat (keeper) David James."

Redknapp, who was a teenager at Upton Park but did not play when West Ham United won the Cup in 1964, said he was delighted that Portsmouth had reached the final -- his first as a player or manager.

"It's great for the fans, they can look forward to another day at Wembley, its great for a club like Portsmouth to get to a cup final. We now have a fantastic chance of winning it."