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
Seating plan - click here



Barnsley skipper Brian Howard believes his team-mates can once again upset the odds to overcome Cardiff City on Sunday and get to The FA Cup Final.

Howard's last-gasp strike against Premiership giants Liverpool in the Fifth Round started the roller-coaster that the Tykes still find themselves on, especially after they beat Chelsea in the last round.

Cardiff City will start Sunday's game as slight favourites, due to their higher League position in the Championship, but the confident and cheerful Howard says League positions, form, betting odds and anything else used to gauge the game will prove pointless come kick-off.

"We showed against Liverpool and Chelsea that we are a good side," he said. 

"They were no flukes. Of course we had to work hard for those victories, but so you should against sides that good.

"We displayed our passion and commitment and I think we rightly came out on top.

"Once it gets underway it will be 11 lads against 11 lads - just like it always is and we are confident we can get the better of Cardiff, although they are a very strong side."

Howard played at the 'old' Wembley for England U16s and says walking his side out for the Cardiff game will be 'the stuff of dreams.'

"It will mean the world to walk the lads out at Wembley," he added.

"If someone had said to me when I joined three years ago that I would be walking my team out at Wembley in an FA Cup Semi-Final I would probably have laughed, but this really is what dreams are made of. I am chuffed to bits to get this opportunity.

"I don't really get nervous and the big games bring the best out of me. If a game like this doesn't bring out the best in you, then you are struggling."

With only Cardiff City, West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth and, of course, Barnsley left in the last four, this year's competition has captured the public's imagination as the year of the underdog and Howard believes The FA Cup is all the stronger for that.

"I think this year has brought the magic back to The Cup," he said.

"People get bored of the same old teams winning it and this year it will be somebody unexpected and that will be great. We desperately want it to be us.

"Nobody could have forecast this type of finish to The FA Cup and that is what makes it so great and so popular."