JJ Lacey will take centre stage at Wembley on Saturday - and provide another slice of the magic of the FA Cup.
Biggleswade Town goal-getter Lacey, 25, is this season’s top scorer in the FA Cup, having scored ten goals in six games and is set to pick up the Mitre Golden Ball award. That puts Lacey - whose first name is Jonathan - ahead of the likes of Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland and Co.
The Football Association has made it a formal award in the past three seasons with the extra honour of receiving the top scorer trophy from an FA Cup legend as well as walking the cup final match ball out onto the pitch before kick-off. Lacey, who works as an architectural technologist, has only ever played at non-league level and got his goals in the six games before they were knocked out of the competition in the fourth qualifying round.
He boosted his goal tally with a hat trick against Bishops Stortford and only really became aware of the award at that stage - and then kept it in his sights.
Lacey said: “This is such an honour and something I will never forget and it’s brilliant for my family who have been so supportive. I get to take the match ball out which is such an honour because, as a Luton fan, you never expect to be here in a cup final!
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“I was a bit worried when Haaland got five goals against Luton - but breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t get a hat trick or anything in the next round! The cup is brilliant. The beauty of it is that it is a competition for everyone, starting at non-league all the way to the Premier League.”
Lacey is quite happy with his own football career as he believes his dad Mike moving to Hong Kong for work with his mum Liz and brother Ollie was probably the reason why he did not get picked up by a professional club. “I lived out there for a couple of years from about nine to 11 years of age which is probably the biggest time when players get spotted, get picked up or whatever,” he said.
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Lacey's Biggleswade Town team were knocked out in the fourth qualifying round (Philip Coburn)“I’ve been to Wembley three or four times. I came to the first England game here with Brazil, a couple of National League play-off finals and then also to support Luton in the Championship play-off last year.
“It’s also great for my family because dad has followed me everywhere. He even wanted to come to the Falklands when I got called up for England C whereas my mum puts up with it and my brother still thinks he’s better than me!”
List of FA Cup top scorers
2021/22
Adam Boyes – Marske United
11 goals in 5 games
2022/2
Paul Mullin – Wrexham
World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow
9 goals in 6 games
2023/24
JJ Lacey – Biggleswade Town
10 goals in 6 games
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