JAY-JAY Okocha left for Africa on Thursday confident that his Carling Cup fate is in safe hands.

The talismanic Reebok skipper signed off in style on Wednesday night, scoring two sensational free kicks as Wanderers racked up an emphatic 5-2 victory over Aston Villa in a breathtaking home leg of the semi-final.

He will miss the return leg at Villa Park next Tuesday but is convinced the players he leaves behind have what it takes to complete the job and secure a place in the final at the Millennium Stadium on February 29.

"It's not over yet," he cautioned, "but we have done ourselves a massive favour by winning by three goals.

"And I have great confidence in the boys. It's a team game and I am only one player. I'm confident that we have enough good midfield players and that I will not be missed."

Okocha, who has been hailed by his manager Sam Allardyce as "the best player the club has ever had", is due to captain Nigeria next Tuesday in their opening game in the African Nations Cup tournament, against Morocco in Tunisia. But he aims to be kept up to date with events at Villa Park.

"I hope it will be possible to watch it on television but, if not, I'll be on the phone straight away," he promised.

Kevin Nolan, who scored the second of the five goals that left Villa boss David O'Leary admitting his players now had "an Everest to climb" to get to the final, will also miss the second leg because of suspension.

He confessed to having mixed emotions but added: "Hopefully I've done my little bit and the lads can finish it off."

Allardyce, who saw Wanderers pegged back to 3-2 after romping into a 3-0 lead inside 17 minutes, urged his players to stay solid in the second leg. He said: "Jay-Jay Okocha and Kevin Nolan gave us a platform to reach a major final. We've got to make sure, for those two in particular, that we don't let ourselves down."

Okocha's contract talks will be on hold while he is in Africa, but Wanderers want to keep him for another three years.

"We've got to sign him," Allardyce said, "as long as he doesn't want too much money, of course. He's inspirational and he's someone we can build something round."

Okocha said: "I'm quite happy here and, if there's a possibility of me staying then why not? But in football you never know. I hope we can reach an agreement but, if not, I will continue at another place."