Barnsley v Cardiff City
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Semi-Finals
4pm, Sunday 6 April 2008
Wembley Stadium
Winning clubs will receive £900,000 from The FA
Recent FA Cup Results - Results
Ticket information - click here



Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele says that after causing two major upsets, they are determined to make it through to the Final and are taking Cardiff every bit as seriously as Liverpool and Chelsea.

Having caused a titanic upset to dump Liverpool out at Anfield, Barnsley then drew the holders Chelsea in the Sixth Round. No one expected lightning to strike twice, but Kayode Odejayi hit the winner and Oakwell celebrated reaching Wembley.

Now Steele is determined to reach The Final.

Steele told TheFA.com: "It's funny because when you have a shock in The FA Cup I don't think anyone expects two shocks in a row.

"In the Chelsea game the credit goes to the lads. They were brilliant and I hardly had anything to do. That was all down to the back four, the midfield and the front two.

"Everyone played amazing, that's the best I've seen them play since I have been at the club. I was a little bit surprised by how well everyone played - the bravery and commitment was amazing.

"It was good to see that passion, especially in The FA Cup, and that hunger to win. The lads are class and all credit to them."

The crowd at Oakwell were in raptures throughout the game, and the scenes at the final whistle were euphoric. Steele paid tribute to the fans who played their part in a memorable day for the Yorkshire club.

"That was the first sellout I'd seen at Oakwell and it was amazing, the fans were obviously excited about the game and the boys didn't disappoint them. It's a game that everyone in Barnsley will remember forever. In the club's history I don't think anyone will ever forget it.

"It's Wembley Stadium, there's no other place I'd rather play. Ever since I was a kid I've thought, 'if one day I could play at Wembley, that would be amazing.'

"Cardiff's going to be a very tough game, but we all believe that we've got a good chance of winning and progressing to The Final. We'll approach it the same as we did against Liverpool and Chelsea."

Five years ago Steele was part of the Manchester United youth team that lifted The FA Youth Cup, overcoming Middlesbrough in The Final, and he admits that the competition was very special to him.

"At that age, if you ask any young player at 16,17 or 18 what the most important thing in the world is, they would say The FA Youth Cup," Steele revealed.

"Everyone talks about it, and I used to dream about winning it. When I was nine or ten I used to watch the older lads playing in it. When I got the chance, I was lucky enough to play in a good side. We had some tough games along the way - but winning that was one of my early memories of football.

"To win that was a massive achievement at the time. United hadn't won it since the Beckham and Giggs era, so it proved what a good team we had.

"Now it's The FA Cup for real, it's so big in my eyes and it's such a massive thing for me. I've literally dreamt about lifting trophies like this and now it's time to make it a reality. And why not? We've beaten two of the top teams already, there's no reason why we can't go on."