Cockfosters captain Jay Lovell set to lead side at Wembley

Jay Lovell, 33, will captain Cockfosters against AFC Stoneham in the FA Vase final at Wembley on Sunday.

The defender from Hertfordshire works as an escalator engineer and is normally on site at the national stadium on match days in case of technical problems. This weekend he will instead lead his team out.

Lovell and his Cockfosters teammates earned their place in the final by beating Punjab United 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals last month. The club, based in Enfield, north London, has never won the competition.

"Now that I have actually reached the final, no-one is working," Lovell told BBC Sport. "All of the lads are coming to watch me. We've passed the job on to someone else."

He said one of his bosses joked about him taking a two-hour break to play football.

Lovell has spent more than 15 years in non-league football. He recalled walking around Wembley before last year's final and thinking his chances of playing there were like "winning the lottery."

"It is fairly emotional for me because I've worked it, I've been there and I've walked around Wembley," he said. "It's always been what-if, and now the what-if has come true. It still hasn't sunk in that I'll be there on 17 May playing."

Cockfosters have played more than 60 matches across all competitions this season, including eight games in 14 days at the end of the campaign. Lovell said the schedule had been tough to balance with full-time work.

"When you're getting up, going to work, coming home and then going back out again to play football, it is a lot to juggle," he said.

Lovell said the players train and recover differently from those at higher levels. "I think comparing us to even the Conference South level is ridiculous," he added.

He said the team had played in freezing and wet conditions during the winter, but the chance to reach Wembley made the effort worthwhile.

"I don't think you can beat it," Lovell said. "It's the pinnacle, isn't it?"