VIDEO: Leeds v Spurs - Keane's absence aids our cause, insists Grayson

SIMON GRAYSON admits not having to face Leeds United old boy Robbie Keane tonight in the FA Cup is an unexpected bonus.

The Elland Road club host Tottenham Hotspur in a fourth-round replay with the winners set to travel to Bolton Wanderers on Valentine's Day.

Leeds will start as massive underdogs despite having knocked out Premier League champions Manchester United at the third-round stage and holding Spurs to a draw at White Hart Lane 11 days ago.

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Despite that, Grayson is backing his players to spring another major upset against a visiting side who will be without Keane following his loan switch to Celtic on the final day of the transfer window.

He said: "In Robbie, Spurs have allowed a player to go out and get some first-team football. He got a great reception in the first game from the Leeds fans and he was a great servant to this club.

"When people leave and get the sort of applause he did, it shows people appreciated them.

"I am glad that he won't be in a Tottenham shirt, not because he is a former Leeds player but because he is an excellent footballer.

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"When top players are unavailable it hopefully makes it easier for us to win the game.

"Having said that, Tottenham are a big force when you have got (Peter) Crouch and (Jermain) Defoe and other players in the team.

"It is a big tough test, even though it is at home and a sell-out. If we do ourselves credit – win, lose or draw – I will be happy with that."

The departure of Keane to Parkhead together with Alan Hutton moving to Sunderland and Kyle Naughton joining Middlesbrough means Leeds are likely to face a Spurs line-up containing several changes.

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Harry Redknapp has brought in Portsmouth's Younes Kaboul and former Barcelona player Eidur Gudjohnsen, but neither will be able to play tonight due to having signed since the original tie was played.

Tonight's game will be United's sixth in the competition this season during which their standout performer has been Jermaine Beckford.

The 26-year-old has netted five of the club's 11 goals in the Cup, including the winner at Old Trafford and two at White Hart Lane.

Grayson is quick to praise his 24-goal striker but believes the time has come for one of his team-mates to step into the limelight.

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He said: "I will tell the players the same as I did before the game at Old Trafford: have no regrets when you come off the pitch.

"And I will also say 'somebody try and be a hero'. Jermaine has got a lot of headlines over the last couple of rounds – it would nice for somebody else to get them for a change."

Elland Road will host its second capacity crowd of the season tonight, the first having come when 38,168 watched Liverpool narrowly win 1-0 in the Carling Cup.

Grayson is anticipating a cracking atmosphere and wants his players to harness the passion of the crowd.

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He said: "We try and get on the front foot and press opposition, whether it is against Tottenham or teams in League One.

"I am sure Tottenham are expecting us to be coming out of the traps.

"It happened to us down there and we could have been dead and buried within 15 minutes at White Hart Lane.

"But we stuck in there and thoroughly deserved the game that we have got coming up. Just because we are at home this time does not mean the tie is in our favour by any stretch of the imagination."

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Leeds are midway through a gruelling schedule that will see Grayson's side play 13 games in 43 days.

The fear among supporters is that further progress in the cup competitions – United travel to Carlisle United in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area final second leg next Tuesday – could seriously impact on the push for promotion.

To try to avoid potential burn-out, Grayson brought in Gary McSheffrey and Shane Lowry on loan shortly before the deadline.

He said: "We have got enough bodies to deal with it. Winning football matches breeds confidence, makes you better and keeps pushing you along. If we had gone out in the first round of the Johnstone's Paint, maybe that might have affected our league form. People talk about fixture congestion but when you are putting in performances against Manchester United and Tottenham, and you are one game away from Wembley in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, the confidence levels are improving all the time.

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"Time will tell how the players deal with all the fixtures but they love playing games. It shows how successful we have been."

Leeds yesterday announced OHS have signed a two-year extension to their secondary shirt sponsorship deal.