Ex-boxer nicknamed ‘Beast from the East’ aiming to claim FA Cup scalp
It helps to have a little muscle on side when the going gets tough in cup competition.
And National League North side Alfreton Town will benefit from the 6'4", 15-stone frame of frontman Jake Day. The Reds host League Two contenders Walsall in the FA Cup second round on Saturday after beating sixth-tier rivals Worthing in the previous phase of the competition.
The odds are stacked against Day & Co, but a man who was nicknamed 'Beast From the East' is one Alfreton are glad to have on their side. And the forward might have found himself competing for first-class honours in another sport after training as a boxer in his youth.
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"I had some amateur bouts. I was never good enough to turn professional," Day told BBC Sport. "It was a hobby more than anything else."
After taking up the 'sweet science' at 11, Day learnt the ropes in the square circle before taking football more seriously in his twenties. He settled nerves with a 97th-minute strike against Macclesfield in the FA Cup's fourth qualifying round and has four goals in 17 league outings this season (including three in his last six.
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The 31-year-old earned his 'Beast From the East' moniker after plundering goals at hometown club Bridlington – 85 in 107 appearances, to be exact. And while his days in the ring may be well behind him, there are aspects of that past life he'll inevitably draw upon in an effort to stun the Saddlers and help Alfreton advance to the FA Cup's third round for the first time.
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"Before this season I hadn't been past the second or third qualifying rounds," said Day. "To think we could face a potential tie with a Premier League club if we win our next match, it's the stuff of dreams."
Those same dreams could be just 90 minutes from becoming a reality if fourth-tier Walsall overlook their hosts. And Day will know a thing or two about striking on the counter should he sense the slightest of openings come Saturday, a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" he won't take for granted.
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