Kayode Odejayi will today work on his growing business as a personal trainer and prepare for National League bottom club Guiseley's match at Bromley, but ten years ago exactly he was on the back page of every national newspaper after netting one of the FA Cup's most famous shock winners.
A decade ago yesterday, the Nigerian international rose above Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, who had rushed off his line, to meet a superb right-wing cross by Martin Devaney and head in from six yards out in the 66th minute of the FA quarter-final against the holders Chelsea at Oakwell.
It was just his second goal for Simon Davey's Reds and his first in 28 games since a league match against Scunthorpe in September, 175 days earlier.Reds fans had booed him throughout the season as he had badly struggled to justify the £200,000 fee paid for him to Cheltenham the previous summer.But he became an Oakwell hero for that goal which put the Reds in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1912 and was followed by scenes of pure joy after it hit the back of the net then again during the post-match pitch invasion.
Odejayi, the modest son of a Nigerian minister, admits he rarely relives the moment. The 36-year-old told the Chronicle: "I have never watched the game back and I've never really watched the clips of my goal. But this time of year you do see it a bit more on the FA Cup coverage on TV or social media. It's not about me, it's about the club. It was a great win and someone had to get the goal."
But Odejayi, who still lives in Silkstone Common, appreciates the impact of the goal and the win on his adopted hometown.
"It's hard to put another goal I scored above that one. It was against a top, top Premier League team and took us to the FA Cup semi-final. It's one that has gone down in history and it's got to be up there with one of the highlights in Barnsley's folklore. It was a fantastic cross from Davvers.
"I just remember thinking 'get up early and make sure you get good contact'. Suddenly it was in and Howy (captain Brian Howard) was jumping on my back, Jamal (Campbell-Ryce) was hugging me and all the other players were running over. The fans were really happy and it was a great feeling."
Whereas Barnsley rode their luck in their glorious 'smash and grab' victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the previous round, this was considered a victory that their general play deserved. The four league games between the two giant-killings of Premier League superclubs saw the Reds lose at Norwich then draw with QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackpool with only one goal scored by Barnsley in those fixtures.
But the relegation-battlers raised their level for the cup once again as goalkeeper Luke Steele, the hero at Anfield, was more of a bystander as he faced just three shots on goal, two of them very weak. Barnsley could have been ahead earlier as Istvan Ferenczi hit the post with a volley from a Bobby Hassell free-kick and Odejayi forced a good save from Cudicini. Rob Kozluk blocked twice from England star Joe Cole and Hassell, outstanding on the day, produced a vital last-ditch tackle to deny Nicolas Anelka, who was part of a strong Chelsea side.
Avram Grant, who would lead the Blues to the Champions League final two months later, did not play Frank Lampard or Didier Drogba but still fielded an 11 who were all full internationals – apart from Cudicini – including England captain John Terry. Odejayi, who has one goal in 30 games for Guiseley this season, said: "It is ridiculous that it was ten years ago. It's gone so fast.
"It was a massive moment for the club, the town, the players and the fans. We knew no one expected us to win and we didn't have anything to lose. A lot of fans still mention the goal to me. It's nice to be reminded about it and it's better than if they talked to me about all the goals I didn't score."
The semi-final saw Barnsley lose 1-0 to Championship rivals Cardiff City at Wembley with Odejayi famously shooting wide when through one-on-one late on. In 82 games up front for the Reds, he scored just five goals, but he looks back on his time at Oakwell fondly and is still friends with a lot of his Barnsley team-mates.
"I played for Guiseley against Barnsley in pre-season and I had a long chat with Paul Heckingbottom. Obviously he's moved on to Leeds now but I still know Davvers, Bobby and Dale Tonge who are coaches there. I keep an eye on Barnsley's results. I hope they can stay up this season."
Barnsley: Steele, Van Homoet, Foster, Souza, Kozluk, Campbell-Ryce, Hassell, Howard, Devaney (Togwell 73mins), Odejayi (Coulson 80), Ferenczi. Unused: Nardiello, Butterfield, Leon.Chelsea: Cudicini, Belletti (Pizarro 74mins), Terry, Carvalho, Bridge, Essien, Ballack, Malouda (Kalou 62), Wright-Phillips, Anelka, Joe Cole. Unused: Hilario, Obi, Ben-Haim.
