Bluebirds land Tykes for final fling

BARNSLEY’S hopes of ending their remarkable FA Cup run with a trip to the final in May were boosted yesterday after they were handed a semi-final tie with Cardiff City.

The Tykes, who have already beaten Liverpool and Chelsea in this season’s tournament, avoided Portsmouth, the last Premier League team in the competition, and Championship promotion hopefuls West Brom, who now play each other in the most unusual semi-final draw for over 20 years.

“You would say we wanted to avoid the Premier League side but we’d beaten two in the previous rounds so it’s going to be a tough game,” Simon Davey, Barnsley manager, said. “But we’ve got to be confident after beating Liverpool and Chelsea. We’re 90 minutes away from an FA Cup final.”