Leicester secure Moore loan deal for Rovers tie

The Leicester City manager Craig Levein has bolstered his squad ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow by securing the Aston Villa striker Stefan Moore on loan.

The Leicester City manager Craig Levein has bolstered his squad ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow by securing the Aston Villa striker Stefan Moore on loan.

The 21-year-old Moore - who has made 30 first-team appearances for Villa but none at all this season - has joined on loan until the end of the season and has been cleared to play against Rovers.

The arrival of Moore, who has previously been on loan at Millwall this season, has proved timely for the Foxes with striker Dion Dublin facing a late fitness test. Dublin, who scored a last-gasp winner to earn Leicester a 2-1 victory over Charlton at The Valley in the fifth round, has been laid low by hamstring trouble but Levein is optimistic.

"A week ago I would have told you Dion had no chance of playing but it's looking a lot better for him," Levein said. "It's no secret he'll play if we're convinced he's up to it because his experience will be vital."

As he prepares to take Leicester as far as he can in this year's competition, Levein has hit out at Football Association plans to scrap replays in the latter stages of next season's FACup.

"I do not like the idea of messing with the FA Cup, I do not like it at all," he said. "I understand these measures might help Sven Goran Eriksson and others, but it disappoints me.

"And as for fixture congestion, what about clubs like us in the Championship? We already have to play 46 league games but in the Premiership they have 38. Will the ending of replays make it harder for the non-Premiership clubs to get through?

"When you're the underdog playing a team above you, you're always going to start the game off cagey - especially if you're away from home.

"But this is the world's most famous club knockout competition. It's glamorous but if you want to get to the final you know it's going to be a hard slog and replays are a part of all that. They help ensure that by the time the competition's over, the best team has usually won it."