Tykes’ divine upset - Chelsea-beater Odejayi son of a preacher man

Not for more than a decade, when Danny Wilson's exciting team took Barnsley into the Barclays Premier League for the first and only time, has Oakwell witnessed such high drama and astonishing scenes.

And for good reason; the side that former physio Simon Davey sent out, assembled at a cost of £625,000, should not have had a prayer against the Cup holders, recruited around the globe for £112million.

Nor could Barnsley, 19th in the Championship, expect the element of surprise to come to their aid. Their remarkable victory at Liverpool in the previous round surely reverberated as far as SW6.

Yet Davey and his players, heroes to a man on the biggest day of their football lives, kept the faith and cherished a belief so appropriately manifested in a winning goal from the son of a preacher man.

Kayode Odejayi, a 26-year-old Nigerian striker who cost £200,000 from Cheltenham Town, had some good news to spread to his minister father Richard with his Saturday night phone call to Africa.

Ditched by Bristol City and rehabilitated in the non-League backwater of Forest Green, Odejayi had not scored since September but soared above the abject Carlo Cudicini to head the 66th-minute decider.

The roar belonged to a crowd twice the size of Oakwell's 22,410, not least from the directors' box — £300,000 prize money on top of a £265,000 TV fee goes a long way outside the Premier League.

But Davey and his players were not thinking of the money. Wembley beckons for Barnsley in their first semi-final since 1912, the year Harry Tufnell's extra-time replay goal beat West Brom to win the Cup.

Davey said: "We've put Liverpool and now Chelsea out. What we're doing is making dreams come true.

With the likes of Bristol Rovers being in the last eight as well, the FA Cup magic is still there.

'Any team on any given day can get a result. We've proved that and so have Bristol Rovers and West Brom. Perhaps the gap isn't as big as people make out. And we are putting the magic back there. 'We were the better side against Chelsea. Luke Steele made just one save, a simple pick-up. And if you look at the chances we had, we deserved it. I'm quite speechless. The lads were fantastic."

Wembley as a semi-final venue has its critics, but Davey added: "They're talking nonsense, aren't they? It's got to be Wembley. I've never been. You remember it was the only televised game and the family would sit and watch. To lead Barnsley out at Wembley would be another moment out of my dreams.

"It means everything to this club. They were on the map 10 years ago, when we were in the Premier League. Anfield put them back on the map. They've not stopped talking about this Chelsea game.

"It's a dream come true for everybody. The supporters deserve it, the ones who spend their hard-earned cash to go to Plymouth and Southend. It's a lot of money. But we've given them a real day out."

Odejayi has been to Wembley with Bristol City, although he was not in the squad that lost an Auto Windscreens Shield final to Stoke in 2000. It will be different after this magnificent performance.

Davey contended that his striker 'tortured' John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. "I'm not sure about that," said Odejayi. "All the lads were brilliant and we thoroughly deserved to win.

"The goal? It was a great cross from Martin Devaney, there to be attacked. I just tried to get a good leap and keep my eye on the ball — and not look like I was trying to take out the goalkeeper or anything.

"My mum and brothers were here. My dad is working in Nigeria. He'll be back soon. My mum and dad always keep me in their prayers, so who knows? Maybe He'll shine down on me again for the semis.

"I grew up in a religious home, it's a big part of my life. They remind me to keep the faith. I say a prayer in the morning, before I go to sleep, and before I go out on the pitch. Obviously, it worked wonders today!"

Odejayi went off to a thunderous ovation from fans who haven't been so kind in the past.

He said: "It's definitely nicer than being booed, but they pay their money and are entitled to their opinion.

"My second cousin is Ade Akinbiyi. He's a strong character and he told me you can't let the criticism get to you. You've got to get your head down, work hard in training and it will show on the pitch."

That pitted Oakwell surface, hardly conducive to the Beautiful Game, took another hammering from thousands of celebrating Barnsley fans, some of whom skipped on before Steve Bennett's final whistle.

Players also came back out to join in and the FA, who could impose a fine, will want a detailed report. Devaney, who received a shirt as well as a broken nose from Michael Essien, albeit in separate incidents, said: 'It was a bit silly of the s upporters but you can understand them being excited.

"It's a massive day for Barnsley and a great achievement. I think the FA have got to take that into consideration. Hopefully there won't be any beckons for Barnsley in their first semi-final since 1912, the year Harry Tufnell's extra-time replay goal beat West Brom to win the Cup.

Davey said: "We've put Liverpool and now Chelsea out. What we're doing is making dreams come true. With the likes of Bristol Rovers being in the last eight as well, the FA Cup magic is still there.

"Any team on any given day can get a result. We've proved that and so have Bristol Rovers and West Brom. Perhaps the gap isn't as big as people make out. And we are putting the magic back there.

'We were the better side against Chelsea. Luke Steele made just one save, a simple pick-up. And if you look at the chances we had, we deserved it. I'm quite speechless. The lads were fantastic."

Wembley as a semi-final venue has its critics, but Davey added: "They're talking nonsense, aren't they? It's got to be Wembley. I've never been. You remember it was the only televised game and the family would sit and watch. To lead Barnsley out at Wembley would be another moment out of my dreams.

"It means everything to this club. They were on the map 10 years ago, when we were in the Premier League. Anfield put them back on the map. They've not stopped talking about this Chelsea game. Ode one who beat Chelsea was son of a preacher man fines and the club can just savour the moment."

Avram Grant walked past the festivities like an extra from a George Romero horror flick. His ashen pallor reflected his darkening situation; win the League or the Champions League or accept the inevitable axe.

Only Bruce Buck of Chelsea's hierarchy ventured north, but be sure that Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon fumed in front of their wide plasma screens at the club's humiliation before the nation.

As Anfield hero Luke Steele, Barnsley's on-loan goalkeeper, said:

"People said I'd be the busiest man in the UK today, but I didn't have a great deal to do — it's not as if I kept us in the game. I felt for Cudicini."

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka insisted: "The criticism has to be aimed at the players. We didn't do what we had to do. The tactics were right but we just did not play well. We know we should have done better."

But Grant, who claimed not to notice the inevitable chants of "Mourinho' from Chelsea's 4,700 fans, said: 'I am the manager, I am responsible for everything. It's very sad, we'd played so well in the last week.

"Barnsley are not an easy team to play against. The pitch made it hard to control the ball.

"That made it easy for them to defend and they showed great spirit. Our team was good enough to win but didn't."

Maybe desire was the difference. Barnsley's workaholic left-back Rob Kozluk said: "At half-time we imagined those scenes at the end. We were 45 minutes from Wembley. That's what drove us on."