Goalkeeper Luke Steele insists his preparations for Barnsley's FA Cup semi-final against Cardiff will not be disrupted by the potential heartbreak of being forced to miss the final.

Steele has undoubtedly been one of the players of the competition so far this season and has already etched his name into Oakwell folklore after making just 10 appearances for the club.

The 23-year-old joined on loan from West Brom - who face Portsmouth in the other semi-final - in February and produced a dazzling debut display to help Simon Davey's side claim an unforgettable 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield in the fifth round.

He also kept a clean sheet as Barnsley knocked out holders Chelsea in the quarter-finals last month.

But Steele now heads to the Wembley this weekend well aware he would be ineligible to face Albion in the final under the terms of his loan deal should both teams progress.

Steele, though, has vowed to remain professional however his parent club perform against Pompey, the only Barclays Premier League side remaining in this year's FA Cup, as the Tykes bid to reach their first final in 96 years.

"I've been asked about it a million times this week," said Steele, who will join Barnsley on a permanent basis in the summer.

"I'll take whatever comes on Saturday and try and approach the game come Sunday with the same attitude whether I know if I'm going to play - or not - in the final if we win.

"It's going to be a test but other players have done it in the past and it's all about mental strength.

"Hopefully I've got the mental strength to keep my mind on the game."

A dispute between the Tykes and the Baggies last month had briefly threatened to scupper Steele's stay at Oakwell as the two clubs attempted to thrash out a loan extension until the end of a season and put a permanent move in place.

Fortunately, a deal was brokered and Steele - who spent four years at Manchester United but never made a senior appearance - can realise his childhood dream of playing at Wembley.

He continued: "It took a little bit of time to get my future sorted but once it did I was delighted. I wanted a permanent move in the summer and I couldn't be happier.

"Now I'm looking forward to Sunday and as a kid I literally had dreams of playing at Wembley and now it's coming true.

"It's a big game and it's going to be a great occasion, but we are not just going to have a good day out and look good in front of the cameras - we're going there to beat Cardiff and get into the final.

"I just hope everyone is as focussed as they should be to get a result."

Steele insists the Tykes are "wary" of Dave Jones' side, but fear nobody after the Coca-Cola Championship strugglers beat Chelsea and Liverpool to deservedly claim their place in the last four.

"Cardiff know it's going to be a tough game because we've beaten Liverpool and Chelsea as everyone knows, and anyone you get in the FA Cup semi-final is going to be tough," Steele added.

"But there's no one to fear and you shouldn't fear anyone in football.

"We went to Liverpool and we played against players who have won the European Cup and we went and beat them.

"Then we played Chelsea and we never feared them. We were wary of them but didn't fear them.

"Cardiff have done quite well this season and they've got some good players and I think it'll be a good game."

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