Thackley to face Farsley in semis after fine win over Ossett

McGuire said the next step for the Dennyboys is to get up to the level of teams like Ossett and that the game was a perfect yardstick. He also admitted that he had no problem with his star men putting themselves in the shop window.

Discussing the win, McGuire enthused: "It's got to be one of the best performances I've seen in my tenure.

"The boys were at it from start to finish and aside from the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half, I thought we were the better team. We battled well, played good football and stopped them from playing their system.

"We want to get to this (Ossett's) level so it was a good game for us to see how we'd fare. It's a shop window for the players too.

"If you impress, you've got a half-decent crowd watching. If I get four phone calls the next day from clubs at a higher level, I've got no problems with that. It reflects well on the club."

McGuire's side are in some lofty company in the final four and he admitted there is a lot more excitement about the competition now than there was a few months ago.

He said: "With all due respect, the County Cup was not on our radar for where we're at. The league was our priority. Staying up, or seeing if we could progress from last season and get a top-half finish.

"But we're comfy in the league and out of all the other cups now. We've put in good performances in the County Cup and been able to use some other players given our big squad.

"I think it's Thackley's first County Cup semi-final since 2011 and look at the company we're in too.

"It seems the bigger clubs have put out strong teams this year because to be in that company in the last four, with Farsley Celtic, Harrogate Town and potentially Guiseley (who play Goole on February 18), is great.

"There's no pressure, and we can just go out and enjoy our semi against Farsley now."