The Sunday Times
March 9, 2008

Tykes shock brittle Blues
Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0
Andrew Longmore at Oakwell

So this hazy, crazy, Cup year careers on. As if the lunchtime exit of
Manchester United was not enough of an upset, albeit to a Premier
League side, Chelsea were humbled by Barnsley on a Yorkshire night
made for the underdogs. So no member of the big four reaches the
semi-finals of the Cup and all is right with the world outside the
Champions League. The Cup holders are out.

Barnsley's goal came midway through the second half from Kayode
Odejayi, a Nigerian, who rose high above Carlo Cudicini to continue
Barnsley's single-handed slaying of giants. First Liverpool, now
Chelsea. This was another proud night for Barnsley, another proud
night for the Championship. It will be Barnsley's first semi-final
since 1912, just after the sinking of the Titanic.

Then, they went on to beat West Bromwich Albion to win the Cup.
Doubtless Sid "Skinner" Normanton was playing and Michael Parkinson
and Dickie Bird were in the stands.

What price a repeat? West Brom take on Bristol Rovers today, mindful
of an unlikely reprise of another age.

This was a night for celebration of the unsung and underfunded.
Barnsley made a brief appearance in the Premier League a decade ago,
but the gaps have widened since then.

Chelsea, 4-0 winners over Olympiakos in midweek, could not be faulted
for effort or accused of complacency, but they were hurried and
harried out of their stride, particularly in the first half, by a side
who took up where they left off at Anfield. "When Chelsea's team sheet
went up in the dressing room, the players looked at it and turned
away," said Simon Davey, the Barnsley manager. "There was no fear."

Avram Grant looked even more downcast than usual. "This is the most
disappointing day since I came to Chelsea," said the Chelsea manager.
"It was very, very disappointing, but I need to congratulate Barnsley.
They showed a good spirit."

Not for the first time this season, a top side made the mistake of
underestimating more lowly brethren. Chelsea might, as Grant claimed,
have put out a side that should have beaten Barnsley, but without
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, Chelsea are vulnerable in games of
grit and muscle.

Nicolas Anelka is a different type of centre-forward, mobile and
swift, but last night tellingly absent when the crosses came in. One
moment summed up his night as Joe Cole broke down the right, reached
the byline and saw his low cross roll across the six-yard box with
Anelka drifting to the near post and no one following up behind him.

For a spell, Chelsea did threaten to breach the left side of the
Barnsley defence but Dennis Souza, a burly Brazilian, and Stephen
Foster threw body and soul into the fray and, particularly as Chelsea
laid siege to the Barnsley goal in the closing 10 minutes, blocked
every shot.

The goal came midway through the second half and from an unlikely
source. The last goal Odejayi scored was against Scunthorpe in
September, but long before he rose to head beyond the flailing
Cudicini, he had terrorised John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at the
heart of one of the steeliest defences in the land.

Before last night, his main claim to fame was to be Ade Akinbiyi's
cousin. He is certainly from the same stock, powerful and strong, but
prone to goal droughts and subject of some vociferous barracking from
the home fans. Odejayi had his revenge last night and, much to his
surprise, got a signed shirt from Terry as a memento.

Barnsley set about their task with a purpose and an invention that
must have surprised Chelsea. Davey had instilled in his side a real
belief, not difficult when you have won at Anfield, but he might also
have pointed out that his team had gone four games without a win since
Liverpool.

If Odejayi was significant to the growing confidence of the home team,
little Jamal Campbell-Ryce, a jack-in-the-box of a winger, gave
Juliano Belletti a torrid opening quarter. One dribble past two static
Chelsea defenders was ended by a gang of blue shirts. The energy
fizzed through the team like an electric cable. Barnsley began to
believe that lightning could strike twice.

Cole, Anelka and Shaun Wright-Phillips all weaved pretty patterns on
the bare but far from unplayable pitch. Barnsley stood resolute in
defence and, like Chelsea, broke swiftly when the moment came.

Cudicini's hesitation almost allowed Odejayi to score in the first
half as a back pass caught the keeper unawares and Istvan Ferenczi,
Odejayi's strike partner and, at £250,000, Barnsley's most expensive
purchase, hit the outside of the post after a neat piece of control
from a free kick.

Still, it seemed only a matter of time before the laws of economics
asserted themselves. Surely Chelsea could not follow United out of the
Cup. Surely Bristol Rovers could not last longer than all of them?
Chelsea lifted the tempo, but just as Barnsley began to tire, Odejayi
outjumped Cudicini from Martin Devaney's long cross to power home his
second goal of the season. "When is the dream going to end?" asked
Davey. No one had a ready answer.

Barnsley: Steele 7, Van Homoet 6, Foster 8, Souza 8, Kozluk 7,
Campbell-Ryce 7, Hassell 6, Howard 6, Devaney 6 (Togwell 73min),
Odejayi 9 (Coulson 80min), Ferenczi 7

Chelsea: Cudicini 5, Belletti 5 (Pizarro 74min), Terry 6, Carvalho 6,
Bridge 5, Wright-Phillips 5, Essien 5, Ballack 6, J Cole 7, Anelka 5,
Malouda 4 (Kalou 62min)

Scorer: Odejayi 66
Star man: Kayode Odejayi (Barnsley)
Referee: S Bennett
Attendance: 22,410
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Telegraph:

Barnsley in dreamland as Chelsea crash out
Alex Morfey at Oakwell Stadium

Barnsley (0) 1 Chelsea (0) 0

As if beating Liverpool at Anfield in the fifth round three weeks ago
was not enough, the Coca-Cola Championship side managed to go one
better, with Odejayi the man of the hour.

The Nigerian striker, a £200,000 buy from Cheltenham in May, had not
found the net for 28 appearances, but he undoubtedly scored the most
important goal of his career to send Barnsley into the semi-finals at
Wembley.

Make no mistake, this was no fluke because although manager Avram
Grant made six changes to his team from the one that romped over
Olympiacos in the Champions League in midweek, there was still a
star-studded line-up on view.

Barnsley boss Simon Davey had described that win as "men against
boys," and departed Stamford Bridge feeling quite "unnerved" at how
the Blues had dismantled the Greeks.

Needless to say, though, he was expecting far more from his Tykes, and
that is what he duly received as Yorkshire grit took on the might of
the millionaires from the Kings Road.

There was no Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, Paulo
Ferreira or Ashley Cole, who were all rested.

Even without Lampard, there was a distinctly English slant towards the
Chelsea side as captain John Terry was joined by Wayne Bridge, Joe
Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

As if to prove no fear would be shown, Barnsley took the game to their
opponents, carving out the opening chance inside three minutes. The
livewire Jamal Campbell-Ryce's through ball found Brian Howard inside
the area, the Tykes captain who had scored the late winner at Anfield.

Although Howard's stabbed shot was blocked by Michael Essien, it at
least underlined Barnsley's intent that they would not be as easy a
pushover as Olympiacos.

Half-chances followed for Chelsea, interspersed by a number of
counter-attacks from the home side, who used Campbell-Ryce's pace
along with the height and power of strikers Istvan Ferenczi and
Odejayi.

In the 15th minute, Joe Cole drilled an effort goalwards, and despite
a slight deflection that carried the shot inches wide, there was no
corner.

Underlining Barnsley's commitment, Rob Kozluk threw his body in front
of a Cole drive that followed three minutes later, and that was it in
terms of first-half chances for Chelsea.

Instead, it was the Tykes who should have headed into the break with
the lead, initially in the 21st minute when Carlo Cudicini was caught
napping on the edge of the six-yard box. The Italian goalkeeper made a
hash of attempting to trap a backpass, allowing Odejayi to thunder in,
but his nudge was wide.

Then, eight minutes from the interval, Ferenczi should have found the
target after latching onto Bobby Hassell's free-kick from deep.

But after flicking the ball up with his right foot, he fired wide from
12 yards, with the Hungarian then sinking to his knees and with his
head in his hands as he appreciated he should have done better.

Within a minute, Barnsley were on the attack again as Howard played in
Odejayi, and although forced wide, he still fired in a powerful shot
that forced Cudicini into his first save via his legs.

Perhaps inevitably, Chelsea then dominated the opening 20 minutes of
the second period as Barnsley were penned back inside their own half,
resorting on occasion to desperate, but effective defending.

From their sporadic opportunities, Cole had a further shot blocked by
Dennis Souza, while on-loan goalkeeper Luke Steele made an easy save
from a low Nicolas Anelka drive.

Cole and Terry then combined to set up the Frenchman in the 57th
minute, but again the determined home side thrust bodies in the way
when it mattered most.

After weathering the storm, Barnsley then conjured a goal to lift the
proverbial roof off Oakwell, one which is likely to result in further
inquests from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich following those held in
the wake of the Carling Cup final defeat to Tottenham.

Ferenczi initially fed Martin Devaney on the right, and after a run
from Marciano van Homoet pulled away Bridge, the right winger
delivered a piercing cross to the heart of the area.

At 6ft 2ins, Odejayi managed to rise in front of the outstretched
hands of Cudicini and nod home only his second goal for the club this
season into an empty net.

Chelsea poured forward for the remainder of the game, but despite the
pressure, not once was Steele was forced into a save as a wall of 10
red shirts protected him.

When the final whistle sounded, and despite warnings over the tannoy
not to do so, a pitch invasion ensued - one you could not begrudge the
delirious Barnsley faithful.

Best moment: Odejayi's joyful reaction as he netted the winner.

Worst moment: Joe Cole squandering Chelsea's best chance.
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Indy:

Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0: Odejayi stuns Chelsea

Nigerian downs Chelsea as Barnsley reach first semi-final since Titanic sank

By Steve Tongue at Oakwell
Sunday, 9 March 2008

Football followers yearning to see a name other than that of the big
four clubs on the FA Cup will have their wish granted for the first
time since 1995. The holders Chelsea last night followed Manchester
United out of the competition, falling to a rare goal halfway through
the second half by the Nigerian striker Kayode Odejayi.

It came against the run of play, though Barnsley, unlike their
previous triumph at Liverpool, required neither good fortune nor
goalkeeping pyrotechnics to achieve a sensation. This one takes them
to Wembley and a first semi-final since the Titanic went down 96 years
ago.

Chelsea were sunk through a failure to capitalise on the few clear
chances they created, the best of which fell to John Terry right at
the finish. The home side were therefore allowed to stay in a game
that for all their bravery seemed to be drifting away from them early
in the second half. Little was demanded of Luke Steele, the goalkeeper
who had frustrated Liverpool in the fifth round, but he dealt with
everything competently.

At the other end, however, Carlo Cudicini, deputising for the injured
Petr Cech, was comprehensively beaten to a right-wing cross for the
goal that sent Oakwell into raptures not experienced here since the
"just like watching Brazil" year up among the big boys a decade ago.

Brazil would have been tested by yesterday's combination of scuffed-up
pitch, wind and rain, all of which added to the sense of a proper cup
tie. Yet Barnsley never resorted to the big boot, the captain and
Anfield match-winner Brian Howard leading the way with his passing
from midfield.

Chelsea's manager Avram Grant, who may now need to win the Champions'
League to keep his job, said: "It is not a pitch we can play quality
football on. In the first half we didn't play good but give a lot of
credit to Barnsley. There is always a lot of pressure as manager of a
big club like Chelsea."

There is none whatsoever on Simon Davey, who in his second season in
charge of Barnsley has brought the club back into the national
spotlight. He took the trouble to visit Stamford Bridge for last
Wednesday's Champions' League tie against Olympiakos and learnt an
important lesson from the Greeks' feeble display. "Olympiakos sat back
and allowed Chelsea to dictate," he said. "We had to take the game to
them, show them no respect and get in their faces."

Taking no chances, Grant brought in six fresh players, though Frank
Lampard and Didier Drogba had to be replaced because of injury. The
team selected should have been sufficient to see off a side 33 places
below them in the grand scheme of things so it was all the more
surprising that Barnsley created the two authentic chances of the
first half.

In the 35th minute Ricardo Carvalho allowed Bobby Hassell's free-kick
to drop over his head, where the lurking Istvan Ferenczi should have
done better than clip the outside of a post. Within a minute, Howard
put through the other striker, Odejayi, but by delaying his shot he
allowed Cudicini a more favourable angle to make a block.

There had been another uncomfortable moment for the holders when
Cudicini was uncertain whether he could pick up the ball without
punishment and hacked against Odejayi, from whom it bounced past a
post.

In between those moments of excitement for an already vocal home
crowd, Grant's team were restricted to half-chances, and often
betrayed by a bobble off the pitch at the wrong moment. Nicolas
Anelka, Michael Ballack and Chelsea's best player, Joe Cole, all
suffered. Anelka's shot after Terry headed the ball down to him was
then blocked at the expense of a corner and Jamal Campbell-Ryce
blocked Anelka's drive almost on the line.

The worry for the home side was that two strikers who have only
half-a-dozen goals between them in more than 60 appearances this
season had each wasted their big chance. There would be one more,
however, the hardest one, which suddenly materialised amid all the
Chelsea pressure in the 66th minute.

Martin Devaney sent in a cross from the right to which Odejayi, who
was signed from Cheltenham Town last summer, beat Cudicini, nodding in
a powerful header that will go down in Oakwell folklore.

Unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, Davey has no objection whatever to playing
the Cup semi-finals at Wembley. "I've never been there as a player or
supporter and it'll be a day to enjoy," Davey said.
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Odejayi stars as Barnsley storm on


Spencer Vignes at Oakwell
Sunday March 9, 2008
The Observer


And they say lightning never strikes twice. Having disposed of
Liverpool in the previous round, Barnsley only went and did it again
by knocking Chelsea out of the FA Cup on a memorable night in South
Yorkshire. Dickie Bird, Darren Gough, Arthur Scargill, Michael
Parkinson - your boys dished out one hell of a beating.
In a year of surprises in the old competition, this in many ways was
perhaps the biggest. Only one division separates the Londoners from
the Tykes, yet in terms of playing power and overall resources the two
are light years apart. This had been billed by many as Barnsley's cup
final, the expectation being that their dramatic run would be brought
to an honourable end. Instead, they are Wembley-bound for the
semi-finals. The way this year's competition is panning out, you would
not bet against them winning it.

The only goal of the game was scored by a Nigerian forward with just
one strike to his name so far this season. Step forward 26-year-old
journeyman Kayode Odejayi, bought for the relatively large sum of
£200,000 from Cheltenham last May. The man menaced Chelsea's back line
all evening and left the field to a standing ovation with nine minutes
of normal time remaining. No matter what he goes on to achieve in his
career, he will always be remembered in this corner of Yorkshire as
the hero who put Barnsley into the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the
first time since 1912. And to think he was playing only because
team-mate Jon Macken was cup-tied.
'I didn't think that the Anfield win could be eclipsed, but it has
been,' said manager Simon Davey, who admitted his own career as a
lower-division midfielder has been 'blown away' by recent events at
Oakwell. 'I can't believe it. I just hope I don't wake up tomorrow and
find it's all been a dream. I think the players went out and enjoyed
the game. Nobody was found wanting. Everybody put a shift in and
they've come up trumps again. To go to Anfield and win and then to
beat Chelsea in the same season is a fantastic achievement and the
players deserve a lot of credit.'

So can Barnsley, crazy as it sounds, win the FA Cup? 'I really don't
know what to believe any more,' Davey added. 'But when you've beaten
Liverpool and Chelsea, there's no one to fear.'

All the pre-match indications were that the Tykes were going to
struggle. OK, so the Yorkshiremen had won at Liverpool and, in the
only previous FA Cup meeting between the sides, thumped Chelsea 4-0 at
Oakwell in 1989, when both outfits were in the old Second Division.
However, their record since scaling the heights at Anfield three weeks
ago has been pretty poor, with just three Championship points
collected from a possible 12. There was also the spectre of Chelsea's
last visit here hanging over proceedings, a 6-0 win for the Londoners
in 1997 during Barnsley's memorable yet ultimately ill-fated year-long
sojourn in the top flight. On that occasion Gianluca Vialli bagged
four goals. Yesterday you could have got relatively low odds of 45-1
on Nicolas Anelka repeating that feat.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Barnsley's supporters still
packed Oakwell in hope, inspired by Chelsea manager Avram Grant's
decision to rest Frank Lampard and Davey's battle cry that 'anything
is possible'. Throughout the first half it looked as though that was
just the case - and then some. By the time referee Steve Bennett blew
for the break, Barnsley should have been one goal up, maybe two.

Their first decent opportunity arrived in the 22nd minute when Carlo
Cudicini, unsure whether a ball from John Terry constituted a
back-pass or not, struck his clearance into the advancing Odejayi,
only to see it rebound narrowly past his right post to safety.

Had Istvan Ferenczi kept his head instead of volleying wide from 10
yards out, Barnsley would have had the lead their endeavour and no
little skill deserved. Within a minute, Cudicini had redeemed himself
with a good block from Odejayi at the expense of a corner. It was
backs-to-the-wall stuff from Chelsea, who failed to test Luke Steele,
hero of Barnsley's fifth-round win at Liverpool, seriously throughout
the entire half.

It looked as though the Yorkshiremen would pay for their failure in
front of goal as Grant's side came out firing in the second period.
Shaun Wright-Phillips fed Anelka on the right and he in turn found Joe
Cole, only for a bobble to distract the England man, who shot well
wide. Anelka cut inside only to hit a weak daisy-cutter straight at
Steele. Another Anelka effort was blocked. The tide appeared to have
turned.

And then up stepped Odejayi. When Martin Devaney hoisted a high ball
in from the right in the 66th minute, the forward - later to have his
shirt signed in a magnanimous gesture by Terry - rose high above
Cudicini to head down and into Chelsea's net, sending three sides of
Oakwell into delirium.

The bulk of the remaining 24 minutes plus stoppage time was, hardly
surprisingly, played in Barnsley's half of the field. Yet Davey's side
managed to hold out, surviving one or two scares and a premature pitch
invasion staged by home supporters. It was not quite like watching
Brazil, as the old Barnsley saying goes, but it was a dammed sight
more dramatic.

'I need to congratulate Barnsley. They played well and showed good
spirit today,' said Grant, who nevertheless had a slight pop at the
state of the Oakwell pitch, criticism rejected by Davey, who responded
by calling it a 'good passing surface'.

As for questions regarding whether Chelsea had underestimated
Barnsley, Grant said: 'We knew this team beat Liverpool away, so I
don't think it's a case of taking them lightly. Maybe this year is the
[FA] Cup not for the big teams. This was a game we needed to win and
we didn't win. We lost the game today. We are not happy about it, but
it's happened.'

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

Paul Gallagher, BarnsleyFC.org.uk What a day! I'm still shaking. I
hope the FA go easy on our pitch invasion, it was understandable. We
really deserved this - we had the best chances and defended
brilliantly when we had to. It was great Odejayi scored - he's come in
for a bit of stick recently. But it's unfair to single anyone out -
they all worked their socks off. You never know, after knocking out
Liverpool and Chelsea we really could get to the final. It would be
good to get the least fancied team next, but we've proved we can take
anyone on. Chelsea weren't that bad, though I didn't like to see Joe
Cole diving around. We sang 'Premiership, you've having a laugh' and
then our old favourite: 'It's just like watching Brazil.'

Fan's player ratings Steele 10; Van Homoet 10, Foster 10, Souza 10,
Kozluk 10; Devaney 10 (Togwell 9), Hassell 10, Howard 10,
Campbell-Ryce 10; Ferenczi 10, Odejayi 10 (Coulson 9)

Trizia Fiorellino, Chair, Chelsea Supporters' Group It was awful.
Grant has changed a team of winners into 11 strangers. It shows our
desperation that when we needed a goal we had to bring on Pizarro. Did
their keeper have a save to make? We desperately missed Lampard and
Drogba, but against Barnsley we should be able to cope. Essien and
Wright-Phillips were particularly poor. You have to be worried now -
the players have a huge lack of confidence. The West Ham result was
papering over the cracks - they were woeful, whereas Barnsley, like
Spurs, were up for it and beat us. Abramovich is going to have to face
up to the fact that he has made a big mistake with Grant and get in
someone new to salvage our season.

Fan's player ratings Cudicini 6; Belletti 6 (Pizarro 5), Carvalho 7,
Terry 6, Bridge 7; Wright-Phillips 4, Essien 3, Ballack 6, Malouda 5
(Kalou 5); J Cole 7, Anelka 7
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Mail:

Barnsley fairy-tale: Odejayi the giant wipes out Grant's Cup holders
Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0

By IAN RIDLEY

The last time Barnsley reached the FA Cup semi-finals was back in
1912, the year the Titanic sank. And 96 years on, the iceberg won
again as the Premier League's blue riband super vessel failed to
navigate choppy northern waters.

A second-half goal by 26-year-old Nigerian Kayode Odejayi — whose
story is the very stuff of the old trophy's legend — sunk the holders
amid delirious scenes at Oakwell and extended the Championship club's
fairytale Cup run that saw them beat Liverpool at Anfield last time.

It may not quite have been like watching Brazil, as their fans sing,
but it was a deserved win for a plucky, battling display against a
Chelsea side that only belatedly came to life in a last-gasp onslaught
that saw John Terry scoop over the bar at the death.

Odejayi's glorious header sealed a famous night for a player only
getting his chance due to injuries.

Not long ago a Conference player with Forest Green Rovers, he moved on
for £5,000 to Cheltenham Town before Barnsley signed him for £200,000.
And he is sponsored by a local cab company called Blueline.

The big question was how would Chelsea's millionaires cope with the
culture shock of playing here, along with a swirling wind that pierced
the gaps in the Oakwell stands, and driving rain that only deepened
the grey pallor of the surrounding buildings.

The answer, at first, was badly. As manager Simon Davey promised, his
Barnsley team were determined to have a go at Chelsea, despite a host
of injuries and a recent run of four games without that Anfield win.

They duly made a lively start, notably when Bobby Hassell's reverse
ball found captain Brian Howard, who seemed surprised to discover
himself in so much space in the Chelsea penalty area eight yards out
until Ricardo Carvalho intervened.

Howard, goalscoring hero against Liverpool, then almost hit the corner
flag with a shot that at least showed Barnsley's intent.

The home side's front pairing of the Hungarian, Istvan Ferenczi, and
the unorthodox Odejayi were a handful, and the latter almost gave
Barnsley the lead. Terry's backpass put Carlo Cudicini in trouble and
the Italian, deputising for injured Petr Cech, launched a kick that
the Nigerian got a foot to, the ball fizzing wide.

The danger for Barnsley was in getting carried away. As they hurtled
into Chelsea, they left themselves exposed to the counter-attack, with
the Premier League side perfectly set up to capitalise through the
pace of Nicolas Anelka, replacing Didier Drogba, backed up by Joe
Cole.

The curious element of manager Grant's Chelsea selection was wide man
Shaun Wright-Phillips tucking into the rested Frank Lampard's midfield
slot.

Cole was close with a volley from a half-cleared corner, then seemed
certain to score when a gap opened up for him, only for Rob Kozluk to
block the shot determinedly. The left back also headed bravely away
from under his own bar following a cross by Wayne Bridge.

Back Barnsley came, though, and they nearly grabbed a lead before half-time.

First Hassell played a free kick up to Ferenczi, who brought the ball
down on his chest before turning Terry and firing against the outside
of a post. Then Odejayi took a pass from Howard in his stride before
drilling an angled shot that Cudicini saved with his feet.

Chelsea emerged for the second half with more verve and almost
snatched a lead when Cole, well set up by Anelka, was unlucky to see
the ball bobble in the act of shooting and Kozluk again was able to
toe away his shot.

Soon after, Anelka ended a mazy run with a shot straight at Luke
Steele, a rare attempt to trouble the home goalkeeper.

Now Chelsea were in control, but in this amazing season such is the
Cup ... Devaney, who had given Bridge a difficult game, sent in a deep
cross from the right and Odejayi rose high at the far post as Cudicini
was slow off his line, the ball looping off the striker's head into
the net to send Oakwell into raptures and line up a semi-final trip to
Wembley.
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