Howard on double mission

12 April 2012

Barnsley captain Brian Howard leads his team-mates out at Wembley on Sunday desperate to reach the FA Cup final and confident of safeguarding the club's Coca-Cola Championship status.

Manager Simon Davey - with the help of influential midfielder Howard - has masterminded an unlikely run to the semi-final stages of the presitigious competition, but the Tykes also face a battle to avoid relegation.

"We've got a chance of winning the FA Cup and I'm sure we will push on and stay in the league as well," said Howard. "I'm positive that we'll stay in the league. We'll pick up the points we need on the run-in and we'll look back at the end of the season and think what a great season it's been."

Howard added: "We will never get a better chance of winning the FA Cup and we just hope that it won't be our last trip to Wembley this season.

"On a personal level, I haven't looked forward to a game this much in a long time.

"It's created a massive buzz around the town as well and now it's time to get the talking out of the way and go out and do the business on the pitch."

With 14 goals to his name this season Howard, including the winner at Liverpool in February, is Barnsley's leading scorer and talismanic figure, and no-one is prouder of the club's recent FA Cup achievements than the 25-year-old.

He added: "I think we've brought the magic of the FA Cup back into the competition by knocking Chelsea and Liverpool out and we are not in the semi-final by luck.

"We've got here by playing well and working hard and we've knocked out two of the teams who are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so we are going down to Wembley to win it. People should be fearing us really."

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