Today is the first day in a long time that I won’t have to explain to anyone about Barnsley Football Club.

There are no questions asking “Who are they?” (Small side in mid-sized Yorkshire city nicknamed the Tykes) or “Where do they play?” (Oakwell) or “What league is that?” (Championship usually, though there was that painful two-year stint in League One a couple of seasons ago) or “Why would you ever support them?” (I like a good story, and there are few better than being in England the summer prior to Barnsley’s first and only season in the Premier League 10 years ago).

No questions about the best player (Brian Howard, who uses his left foot as deftly and his right foot as sparingly as Preki once did, had ten goals on the season prior to the start of the match) or about their prospects for this season (I’ll take mid-table safety, thanks – the away form’s been generally crap) or about when or if I’ll see them play in person (once a couple years ago at Brentford, and will add two more next month with matches at Oakwell against Ipswich Town and at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace).

For once, I can point to a football match and say, that’s Barnsley F.C. and that’s how the Tykes play. It’s not always pretty, but there’s plenty of heart.

Or I could just point out the result: Barnsley 2 – Liverpool 1 at Anfield in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. A raft load of free transfers beat one of the most expensively assembled squads in English football.

There’s a chant that rings out around Oakwell on match day. It’s just like watching Brazil, they say.

That wasn’t the case today. But victory still tastes sweetly.

Liverpool was the better side throughout, spraying passes and creating chance after chance. That’s to be expected when you’re playing Liverpool at Anfield. But Crouch was off-form and Kuyt still can’t really finish. Like many Liverpool performances this season, there was a bit of verve missing from their performance.

Still for much of the game, there was little to worry about for the home side. The neutral probably spotted Barnsley’s devotion to keeping the ball on the floor in the first half, though the execution lacked at points and newly-signed midfielder Anderson de Silva got caught in possession at every turn. Second-choice Bobby Hassell, in the team for the cup-tied Welsh international Lewin Nyatanga, was more turnstile than right back as Ryan Babel ran him ragged. The visitors conceded much of the possession, but tried to join the game when possible and held out at the back.

Kuyt converted before the break and the result appeared inevitable at that point, especially as the home side stormed out in the second half to kill the game. 

But a funny thing happened on Liverpool’s way to the Sixth Round: Disco Devaney hit a sumptuous cross and center-half Stephen Foster nodded home at the far post and suddenly Barnsley were level. The poor neighbors probably wondered why they could hear shouting and clapping.

Liverpool felt aggrieved and sent endless numbers forward. Steven Gerrard, left out of the team with Torres and Mascherano but kept in reserve on the off chance the match was close, stormed on and nearly caused the winner within two minutes of his arrival. It was batten down the hatches time, with heroic intervention after heroic intervention at the back as Hassell, Dennis Souza, and Foster hurdled themselves in front of every possible attempt.

And then there was the goalkeeper. Luke Steele signed on loan this week from West Brom. Tony Warner, he of the numerous blunders, had signed earlier from Fulham, but he was cup-tied. Manager Simon Davey wanted Thomas Sorenson from Aston Villa and ended up with Steele instead.

Fortunate he did, after Steele kept Liverpool at bay with save after save, with the smart one at the near post on Benayoun perhaps his best when the scores were level. It was a debut for the ages, man of the match stuff without doubt.

Unlike most teams at Anfield with a replay in the offing, Barnsley kept trying to go forward on those increasingly rare occasions when they could hoof the ball out of danger. Kayode Odejayi, on for the Puerto Rican-passport holding Daniel Nardiello, nearly drew a free kick from the rickety Charles Itandje. Devaney lashed well wide after Odejayi nodded down with a few minutes left to go.

Then in injury time, Barnsley withstood more pressure and got it clear again. A replay at Oakwell, a money spinning tie certain to bring the additional fee Sky cameras bring, beckoned.

One special moment turned a replay into ecstasy.

After some quick interplay, Howard was felled by Sami Hyypia in the penalty area. Seven thousand traveling supporters let Martin Atkinson know what they thought about the non-call at the far end.

No matter, Howard said. The ball was poorly cleared, Howard juked inside, and slotted home at the near post with that treasured left foot.

Thirty seconds to play. Barnsley’s up at Anfield. Joy in this house. Joy in the away end. Neighbors still probably perplexed.

The final whistle was inevitable. The counter puncher had scored a famous, probably undeserved victory. Who cares?

A place in the Sixth Round draw awaits. Arsenal won’t be in it. Everton won’t be in it. Liverpool won’t be in it.

Barnsley will be.

For one day at least, everyone knows Barnsley Football Club.