LONDON (AFP) - Nwankwo Kanu can look forward to another season at Fratton Park after scoring the goal that took Portsmouth into their first FA Cup final in 69 years.

The Nigeria striker's 54th minute tap-in was good enough to give Portsmouth, the only Premier League side left in the competition, a 1-0 semi-final win over West Bromwich Albion, his old club, here at Wembley.

Now Portsmouth, who until Saturday's match hadn't been to Wembley since 1939, when they won the FA Cup by beating Wolves 4-1, can look forward to their second match at the 'home' of English football in six weeks when they face another Championship club in Barnsley or Cardiff in the May 17 final.

Kanu was an unlikely hero on a day which saw Portsmouth celebrate their 110th birthday.

His winner, toe-poked in from close range after former Portsmouth goalkeeper Dean Kiely had palmed away a shot from Czech international striker Milan Baros, was only Kanu's sixth goal of the season.

But Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp never gave up on the gifted if frustrating Kanu, twice an FA Cup winner while at Arsenal having previously lifted the European Cup with Ajax.

Saturday's match may have represented just the 14th start this season by the 31-year-old forward but Redknapp said: "He has earned an extra year on his contract by playing in 25 games and on the strength of that today I'd certainly give him that."

Kanu, also an Olympic gold medallist with Nigeria, said: "It was easy to score. Of course I'm sorry for West Brom because they are my old team but I think we must win it now. If we don't we have let the fans down."

But Kanu, who joined Portsmouth on a free transfer from West Brom two years ago, agreed the Baggies had dominated the early exchanges.

"West Brom set off better than us. They are the best footballing side in the Championship and gave us problems but we came through it and Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Glen Johnson and Hermann (Hreidarsson) were solid as always at the back."

Portsmouth were without cup-tied England striker Jermain Defoe, who has scored eight goals in seven games since his January transfer deadline day move from Tottenham.

"With Jermain Defoe cup-tied I haven't got a prolific scorer and it was a concern where the the goals were going to come from," Redknapp admitted.

"Kanu certainly hasn't scored many lately but we changed things a bit at half-time, pushed him up and brought in Niko Kranjcar and Papa Diop from the flanks to play a bit narrower."

Albion players insisted Baros had handled in the build-up to Kanu's goal but Redknapp said: "It never entered my head about any handball."

West Brom, fifth in the Championship, had the better of a lacklustre first-half in front of 83,584 fans.

But for all their neat passing, they rarely tested goalkeeper David James, with France international midfielder Lassana Diarra sweeping up stylishly in front of Pompey's defence.

Portsmouth now have a chance of winning their first major trophy since being crowned back-to-back champions of England in 1950, and Redknapp, who at the age of 60 is bidding for his first piece of significant silverware as a manager, said: "This is great day."

Redknapp's joy was all the more understandable given recent events.

In November, when being touted as a future England manager in succession to Steve McClaren, Redknapp was arrested as part of an investigation into alleged football corruption and he currently remains on police bail.

But, after again protesting his innocence, Redknapp focused on Portsmouth's supporters. "I'm delighted for our fans who must think it is fantastic."

When Redknapp first became Portsmouth's boss in 2002 they were languishing near the foot of the Championship table.

And when he returned three years ago, following a controversial spell at Southampton, having quit Fratton Park in protest at the appointment by Portsmouth of a football director, the side were heading for relegation from the Premier League.

No wonder he said: "It's amazing when you think back two years to where we were as a club, even five years.

"Now we are sixth in the league and in a final," added Redknapp, bidding to become the first English manager since Everton's Joe Royle in 1995 to win the FA Cup.

Albion nearly equalised in the 74th minute when Robert Koren's shot hit the crossbar and afterwards manager Tony Mowbray challenged the Midlands club to build on this performance and achieve automatic promotion following last season's Wembley play-off final defeat against Derby.

"I've always said we are more suited to the Premier but now let's go and earn the right to play teams like Portsmouth week in and week out."