A SWEET shop owner, electrician and a telecoms engineer are all shooting it out to be at the FA Cup Final – one way or another.
The trio would all love to fire their respective non-league sides to a miraculous Wembley triumph.
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However, it’s fair to say that they all stand a much better chance of being a VIP under the arch instead of actually playing on Saturday 17 May.
And that is because all three are currently battling to be crowned this season’s FA Cup top scorer and land themselves the Mitre Golden Ball award.
The Football Association created it three years ago, and the winner gets the honour of not only collecting the trophy from an FA Cup legend but also walking the cup final match ball out onto the Wembley pitch before the final.
The competition has already provided Tilbury hotshot Sam Bantick, who has five goals so far, with his greatest football memory.
The 32-year-old, who owns Sam’s Sweets and Shakes near Brentwood station, tasted the magic of the cup firsthand back in 2017.
That was when he helped fire Heybridge Swifts into the first round proper and scored in their 3-1 defeat against their Football League opponents at St James Park.
He moved to Isthmian League North Division outfit Tilbury this summer and capped his home debut with a hat-trick against Buckhurst Hill.
But his exploits were caught on camera, and he soon went viral when his third, an audacious effort from inside his own half, was shared online.
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“I’ve tried it a few times but it hasn’t always come off. If I could do it all the time then I wouldn’t be playing the level that I’m playing at,” he told Sun Sport.
“I hit that perfectly and as soon as I did I knew it was going in. I’ll always remember it.”
Bantick has never been to an FA Cup Final, but after discovering the prize that awaits the top goalscorer, he says it would top the “best day of my life” at Exeter if he went to Wembley to collect the trophy.
He said: “I’ll have to try a bit harder on Saturday now.
“We don’t often get exposure or the chance to play big sides, of course you want to help your team out, but to get the chance to get honoured on a personal level like that is unreal.”
And ahead of welcoming National League South outfit Chelmsford City to Chadfields, he added: “It’s going to be really tough, but it’s XI vs XI.
“We know we’re massive underdogs but they’ll have to come to our ground, the changing-rooms will absolutely stink and we’ll try and make it as hard as we can for them.”
Sparkie Sonnie Coleman, 27, is another looking to continue his hot-streak of six goals in three matches.
And the Northern League Crook Town striker, who scored to help Hardwick Social retain the FA Sunday Cup in 2018 at Bramall Lane, has even played at Wembley before.
He was part of the Stockton Town side that suffered FA Vase Final heartbreak at the hands of Thatcham Town six years ago.
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He said: “Winning the Sunday Cup two years running was great but the Vase was the biggest game I’ve played in. That was the first and only time that I’ve ever been to Wembley.
“So it would be amazing to get there and I have been keeping my eye on it.
“I’ve seen the leader has eight, but I feel a bit ripped off as we haven’t had one replay and just gone straight through. He’s had a couple of replays but he’s obviously doing very well.”
Coleman is gunning for Witton Albion, who are a step above them in the pyramid, on home turf on Saturday and added: “It’s already the furthest the club have been in the cup this century.
“We’ve beaten Ashington already, who were from a step above, so let’s see if we can go even further.”
The man they are all chasing is Ashford United’s Gary Lockyer.
He already has EIGHT – including a four-goal haul in the last round – but was only told about JJ Lacey’s haul of ten being enough to secure the Golden Ball last season a fortnight ago.
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Lockyer, who works night shifts as a telecoms engineer for Network Planning Solutions, said: “After the four goals took me to eight, my manager said ‘you should be really up there’ but I hadn’t really thought or known about it.
“I then looked it up and saw that the gentleman won it with ten goals last time and instantly thought ‘I’m quite close here’ and it would really be something to remember.
“So I’m definitely hoping for a few more.”
Man Utd fan Lockyer, 31, has experienced the first round proper when he was 17 at Hyde Town but didn’t play and he has also attended finals under the arch as a spectator.
But the father-of-four is determined to stave off his competition and beat the likes of Erling Haaland and Mo Salah in the scoring stakes to land himself and his wife a VIP day out under the arch.
And after being informed that his rivals were desperate for him to draw and blank and for Ashford united to be eliminated, Lockyer added: “I’m exactly the same!
“I’m one for healthy competition and I’m eager to get it now that I know I’m in the lead. Hopefully I can get a few more this weekend.”