Stepping into the unknown

Barnsley manager Simon Davey makes his first ever trip to Wembley on Sunday and says his side are once again relishing their FA Cup underdog status as they await the 'biggest match in the history of our club'.

Barnsley face Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium for a place in The FA Cup Final and Davey is more than happy that his team are being tipped to lose the match.

Davey's men have beaten Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea in earlier rounds of this year's competition, but despite those wins Cardiff are still strong favourites because they are nine places and the same number of points better off in the Championship.

However, rather than being upset by the bleak prospects, Davey is using it as a motivation tool for his team.

"It will not be easy," he said. "But the big factor for me is that we are still the underdogs and we go there confident and hopefully my players will relish that challenge.

"This is the biggest match in the history of our club and I am sure the lads can raise their game by ten per cent again and give the fans something to smile about.

"Being underdogs means they have to go out and prove people wrong again and I think they will.

"We have no fear in the dressing room, whatever game we play. We try and win it no matter who we are playing or where we playing - this is just another challenge to the players.

"This is another step along the road to this team being successful. We are going to forget where we are in the League and we are having a week thinking about only The Cup, so we will enjoy it.

"The team talk will not be different to what it was against Liverpool or Chelsea, but we now have the added incentive of being 90 minutes away from an FA Cup Final and we are playing at Wembley."

Davey's side will get the chance to walk around the stadium the day before the match, so they can acclimatise to the pitch and the sheer scale of the occasion.

"We are going to take the players and staff for a look around," he added. "We want them to have a look at what the stadium is all about and see if we can get any sort of pre-match nerves out, so we can then relax for a couple of days.

"It is a lottery when you play in a high-pressure game at a place such as Wembley. The environment of the day can take over the players and we are hoping on the day that it takes over Cardiff and not our players.

"It is my job to ensure that we are focused for this game and we will give it a go and see if we can make history for this football club.

"I never went to Wembley as a player, coach or supporter so this is my first trip and hopefully it will be a memorable and happy one."