ENGLISH FA CUP underdogs Chesterfield will have to overcome Middlesbrough in the semi finals if they are to secure a dream date at Wembley. Both Ladbrokes and William Hill make Middlesbrough favourites to win the competition.
The little Derbyshire club yesterday defeated second division rivals Wrexham 1-0 in the quarter finals. They were paired with Premiership strugglers Middlesbrough when the draw was made last night.
Wimbledon will face Chelsea in the other semi final.
Neither Middlesbrough or Chesterfield have been this far in this competition, while Chelsea and Wimbledon have each won it once.
Chesterfield, however, know what it is like to be Wembley winners. In 1995 they defeated Bury 2-0 in the Division Three play off final.
Middlesbrough have been to Wembley, but only in the Zenith Data Systems Cup in 1990 when they lost to Chelsea.
But they could face Wimbledon in the final of the FA Cup and the English League Cup, in which both clubs are involved in semi final second leg matches this week.
Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear admitted he would have preferred to take on Chesterfield rather than Chelsea in the semi finals.
He said: "No disrespect to Chesterfield, but we were rooting to get them. But having said that we feel we're a match for anyone at the moment.
"If we play as well against Chelsea as we did when beating them at Stamford Bridge then we have got a great chance of making the final."
Ladbrokes and William Hill make Middlesbrough 6 to 4 - favourites for the FA Cup. Chelsea are at 15 to 8, with Wimbledon 5 to 2 and Chesterfield 16 to 1.
