GRAEME Souness last night told Titus Bramble not to give up on his FA Cup semi-final dream, despite admitting that the centre-half would be undergoing a hernia operation that threatens to rule him out of some of the most crucial games of the campaign.

Bramble, who has been Newcastle's most improved performer since the turn of the year, limped off in the first half of yesterday's quarter-final win over Spurs.

The former Ipswich defender has been nursing a hernia problem for some time but, while Souness had been confident he could survive to the end of the season, the United boss has now accepted that he will need surgery later this week.

His absence was keenly felt yesterday as Newcastle survived a second-half onslaught to book their fourth semi-final appearance of the last eight years.

That semi-final will take place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on the weekend of April 16-17, leaving Bramble four weeks in which to recover for the game.

"There is a month until the semi-final," said Souness, who has now watched his side win seven games in a row. "Does he have a chance? Yes, I would think so. He's a young boy and young men heal quicker than older men do.

"We knew that Titus would need an operation sooner or later but we were hoping that we would get away with it until the end of the season.

"It hasn't turned out like that and he will be an enormous loss to us. He now needs a hernia operation which will put him out for between four and six weeks at the best and that's a real blow."

The impact will be felt on Wednesday when both Bramble and the cup-tied Jean-Alain Boumsong will be forced to sit out the UEFA Cup return game with Olympiacos.

Andy O'Brien and Steven Taylor were both nursing injuries yesterday, leading to fears of a centre-half crisis as the Magpies look to continue their continental campaign.

Souness has admitted that Bramble's presence will be missed on Wednesday, but the Scot is confident that both of this weekend's absentees will be available against the Greeks.

"Both will be fine for Wednesday," he claimed.

"Andy's back stiffened up. Four-and-a-half-hours on the plane flying back from Greece after playing for 90 minutes - maybe he did something during the game.

"Steven collided with Alan Shearer during training. It was the first time I have ever seen him come off the worse. It was just a kick above the ankle."

Newcastle could have done with one of them yesterday as, following Bramble's first-half substitution, they were forced to field Jermaine Jenas as a makeshift left-back for the whole of the second half.

They held out for a 1-0 win and, while Tottenham could rightly point to three crucial refereeing decisions that did not go their way, it was impossible to question Newcastle's resilience and resolve.

"I am absolutely delighted to be in the semi-final of the FA Cup," said Souness.

"I doubt whether we would have won that game two months ago, but I felt that there was a dogged determination about us individually and collectively not to concede a goal and not to get beaten.

"It was a fantastic cup tie but I think that Tottenham are entitled to feel aggrieved."

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