A money-spinning tie has eluded battling FA Cup heroes Scarborough.

Their reward for winning 1-0 at Second Division Port Vale is a third round trip to Southend United.

Boro had been hoping to pull out a Premiership club but boss Russ Slade was philosophical about the draw.

Slade said: "We've got a few knocks and bruises - but it's a very proud dressing room at the moment.

"We'd like to have got a Premiership side but we've got a chance - a realistic chance, and the pennies are very important for us."

Ashley Setanovich, on-loan from Sheffield United, was the Boro hero, scoring in the 80th minute at Vale Park.

The Nationwide Conference side won £15,000 for their victory yesterday and have now netted £37,500 from their Cup run -- with the Southend game still to come.

Meanwhile, Jermaine Pennant is waiting to discover whether he will be a Leeds or Arsenal player when the sides meet in the third round at Elland Road next month.

Pennant, who scored a wonder goal in United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday, is due to end his loan spell from Arsenal on December 19, but the hope is that the Gunners will again agree to an extension.

However, it is extremely unlikely that he would be allowed to play in the FA Cup. Pennant was cup-tied for the Carling Cup and although Arsenal allowed him to play against them in the Premiership at Elland Road last month, their charity is not expected to extend to the FA Cup.

The FA Cup third round draw paired Leeds with holders Arsenal for the seventh time in the competition's history, though counting replays the sides have met 12 times. That includes the 1972 final when United won the Cup for the only time and the marathon fourth round tie in 1991 which went to three replays. When the sides met in the league at Elland Road on November 1, Peter Reid was still in charge and Arsenal were 4-1 winners.

The match is due to be played on Saturday, January 3, but the date may change if the tie is selected for televising.

Cash-starved Leeds have put the finishing touches to a multi-million pound sponsorship deal described by a senior executive as "a club record."

The deal with an unnamed company will be formally announced after Christmas but will help chief executive Trevor Birch in his hunt for someone to take over the club.

The new deal is especially welcome, coming soon after news that shirt sponsors Nike are withdrawing from their £8million sponsorship - an existing club record - at the end of this season.

United denied over the weekend that they had received any bids for the club.

Updated: 10:27 Monday, December 08, 2003