DELIGHTED Sunderland boss Peter Reid last night described the forthcoming Worthington Cup fourth round tie against Manchester United as "fantastic".

Reid saw his £2.5m summer signing from Everton, Don Hutchison, take the Wearsiders through to a meeting with United after a 2-1 victory at Bristol Rovers.

It was his first goals for the club and Reid made no attempt to disguise his delight at the prospect of taking on the champions.

"It is a fantastic tie for all concerned," said Reid.

"To be fair over the last few years we have had some great cup ties and now we are just keeping our fingers crossed it will be at home - we are certainly due a home tie."

And asked if he thought Sir Alex Ferguson might play a weakened side he replied: "No matter what Manchester United side it is it will be hard."

Reid revealed that he was not too happy with Hutchison's first half contribution against Bristol Rovers - but he certainly made up for it after the break.

"I don't think Don was at his best in the first half but he showed in the second half that he can get goals from the middle of the park and we do need that."

And the Wearside boss said he felt sorry for his goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, who conceded his first goal in five games.

He said: "I thought Thomas was impeded as he went for the ball. But he made a couple of great saves for us - he is a top quality keeper."

Reid added: "I expected a hard game from Bristol Rovers and that's what we got. But we were resilient and I think we coped with their pressure. It was a smashing atmosphere and we held on."

l A UEFA-backed report into the likely effects of a change to the current transfer regulations has predicted dire consequences for the game.

It warns that some lower league clubs may have their credit limit severely cut by banks anxious to protect their own interests and that the gap between the richest outfits and the rest will widen because they will have more money to offer in wages.

Football's reaction to European Commission concerns that the present system was illegal under employment law enshrined within the Treaty of Rome was delivered to Brussels yesterday.

Although the alternative proposals do not have the backing of European players' union FIFPro, Competitions Commissioner Mario Monti will examine them before delivering his verdict