David O'Leary has backed under-fire Peter Reid to quieten the Sunderland boo-boys and lead the Black Cats out of their current slump.

Reid has been jeered in recent weeks by a section of fans at the Stadium of Light following a bad run of results and they arrive at Elland Road tomorrow desperate for points to stay out of relegation trouble.

Leeds also badly need a win to keep their hopes of UEFA Cup qualification alive but O'Leary says he has a lot of sympathy for his Sunderland counterpart.

The Leeds boss said: "I have been sat in their ground watching Sunderland play a couple of times and I haven't been able to believe the abuse Peter Reid has had to take.

"I think he is doing a fantastic job but sadly people can be very fickle and the tolerance level in society has gone down.

"It is very sad but Peter will come through what is happening to him now and be better for it."

After two defeats over Easter, O'Leary has set his Leeds side the target of collecting maximum points from their remaining five games as they try to claim fifth place and avoid the dreaded Intertoto Cup.

Rio Ferdinand will miss the Sunderland clash with a hamstring injury but Leeds will check on the fitness of Harry Kewell tomorrow after the Aussie had stitches in his foot. Meanwhile, defender Gary Kelly is hoping for a capacity crowd for his testimonial clash with Celtic early next month after revealing all the proceeds will be donated to cancer charities.

The Republic of Ireland defender's sister Mandy, 35, died from breast cancer four years ago and the Leeds man was determined to raise money for a cause close to his heart. All the proceeds from the game will be split between two charities in Leeds and the Republic of Ireland.

Kelly said: "I thought it would be a nice tribute to my sister, who we all miss shockingly.

"Many people's lives have been touched by this horrible disease and it was always in my mind to do something like this.

"Celtic will have played in the Scottish Cup final on the previous Saturday so it would be great if Martin O'Neill could bring the Cup down with him."

Updated: 11:59 Saturday, April 06, 2002