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



Every season The FA Cup seems to create one story that overshadows all the others - and this year that fairytale has been about Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele.
 
Back in February, Steele was sat on the West Bromwich Albion bench as their third choice goalkeeper questioning where his next match was coming from.
 
Now he is preparing for an FA Cup Semi-Final appearance at Wembley. The magic of The Cup is indeed alive and well.

Steele's remarkable story began the week before Barnsley's FA Cup Fourth Round tie, against Liverpool at Anfield. Barnsley's first-choice keeper Heinz Muller got badly injured and his on-loan replacement, Fulham's Tony Warner, was cup-tied.

Manager Simon Davey put out an emergency call for a goalkeeper and Steele answered.

And before he knew it, he was playing his first 45 minutes for Barnsley at the Kop End of Anfield - a debut that turned out to be stunningly crucial after he denied Liverpool time and time again to help the Tykes cause the most sensational upset of the Fourth Round by beating Liverpool 2-1.

"I have always been told that football is a funny game and I have single-handedly proved that I reckon," he said.
 
"I have gone from the very top to the very bottom.
 
"One minute I am on the bench at West Brom going nowhere, then all of a sudden you are given a chance and you have to take that chance.
 
"I have learnt quite a bit about myself through all this - never stop trying, keep doing it for yourself and if you get the opportunity to move forward then take it.
 
"I have been luckier than you can imagine but myself and the club deserve that bit of luck I reckon."
 
Barnsley followed their Liverpool win with a similar giant-killing act in the last round when they beat Chelsea by a single goal at Oakwell and Steele is confident the Tykes' fairytale will not end against Cardiff City on Sunday.
 
At one point, it looked as if Steele would not be able to appear in the Semi-Final because of an issue with his transfer from West Brom but now that has all been rectified, he says he cannot wait for the opportunity to play at Wembley.
 
"I am not feeling nervous yet," he added. "We are quite excited and as the game gets closer we might get a bit nervous, but it is nothing to be scared of.  

"No football game is worth being scared over, especially one like this. You have to go out there and enjoy it
 
"It seems weird that The FA Cup always seems to do this. Someone, or some team always appears to come from nowhere and it is strange that this year it is me. It is a nice type of strange, though.
 
"All the media stuff and the photographers wanting pictures has been a bit different and I hope that carries on after Sunday because that will mean we are in The Final."

But spare a thought for Muller, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a ligament injury.