The engineer missing his shift at Wembley... to play there instead
Jay Lovell, a 33-year-old escalator engineer, will captain Cockfosters in the FA Vase final at Wembley. After 15 years in non-league football, Lovell is excited to play on the iconic pitch, a dream he thought was unlikely. His team reached the final after defeating Punjab United, and Lovell's colleagues will support him instead of requiring him to work on the event day.
- ▪Jay Lovell will lead Cockfosters in the FA Vase final at Wembley against AFC Stoneham.
- ▪Lovell has played non-league football for over 15 years and works as an escalator engineer.
- ▪Cockfosters secured their place in the final by beating Punjab United 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
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The engineer missing his shift at Wembley... to play there insteadImage source, BBC SportImage caption, Jay Lovell has played non-league football for more than 15 yearsByKeifer MacDonaldBBC Sport journalistPublished25 minutes ago"Don't put me in the same category as those two!" says Jay Lovell, taken aback as his name is mentioned in the same breath as Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. The defender, 33, is set to join the former Liverpool and Manchester United captains in the history books on Sunday, by leading out a team at Wembley.Lovell will captain Cockfosters, from Enfield in north London, in the FA Vase final against AFC Stoneham, based in the Hampshire town of Eastleigh.The father-of-two always had plans to be at Wembley this weekend, though not quite like this.
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