Dickie Bird backs his Tykes for Cup

Barnsley:

Legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird believes his hometown football club of Barnsley can go all the way and win the FA Cup after the shock 1-0 quarter-final triumph over Chelsea.

Bird was at Oakwell, along with 18,000 other supporters of the Championship side, to witness the win which followed an equally famous victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the previous round.

"I said before this tie if we beat Chelsea then we would go on and win the Cup, and I still believe it," said Bird, a native of the former coal mining town in Yorkshire.

"This puts us in a tremendous position to do it and, to be honest, I'm not surprised at this result. In the first half, we could have been 2-0 or 3-0 up at the break. We had completely outplayed them.

"This is so good for the club, the management, the players, the staff, the directors, the groundsmen, the tea ladies and all the ladies who wash the shirts.

"It was a great day for them and a great day for the town," Bird told the British Press Association.

"I've been supporting Barnsley since 1938, and I always thought being promoted into the Premier League was the best period for this club.

"But this puts the icing on the cake. This now has really put the club on the map. Everyone now will be talking about us."

Nigerian striker Kayode Odejayi scored the 66th-minute winner to send the holders crashing out of the competition.