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Paddy Lacey
Patrick Sean Lacey (born 16 March 1993) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cymru North side Flint Town United. He made eleven appearances in the Football League for Accrington Stanley.[2] Lacey has since also competed in boxing, with his debut fight occurring in October 2021.[3] Football careerEarly careerLacey started his career in the academy of Tranmere Rovers, before joining Manchester United, where he played alongside players such as Ravel Morrison and Jesse Lingard. After a month with Manchester United, he was given the chance to join Liverpool, the club he had supported as a child, and took up this offer.[4] Bradford CityOn 8 July 2011, Lacey signed for EFL League Two club Bradford City on a one-year deal following his release from Sheffield Wednesday.[5] During his time at Bradford he had loan spells at Southport and Vauxhall Motors, before agreeing to depart the club by mutual consent on 31 January 2012.[6] Accrington StanleyOn 21 July 2016, he joined Accrington Stanley on a one-year deal.[7] He made his debut for Stanley in the club's 1–0 EFL Cup victory against Burnley on 24 August, coming off the bench in the 83rd minute for Billy Kee.[8] He made his Football League debut, and first league appearance for Accrington, against Morecambe on 27 August, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute for Shay McCartan.[9] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win over Portsmouth on 17 September.[10] On 5 May 2017, Accrington announced they had terminated Lacey's contract after he admitted to a breach of anti-doping regulations. He had been given a 14-month ban by the Football Association having tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, following a game against Hartlepool United the previous November.[11][12] One month after his contract was terminated, Lacey was arrested at Glastonbury Festival in possession of 20.3 grams of cocaine, 16.8 grams of MDMA, and £520 in counterfeit £20 notes. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a controlled substance, and passing an item as genuine which he knew to be a counterfeit. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in July 2017.[13] Return to non-league footballFollowing his release from prison, on 14 January 2019 it was confirmed that Lacey had joined Southport on an 18-month contract.[14] In January 2020, he joined Northern Premier League Premier Division club Stalybridge Celtic before later joining Chester in September 2020.[15] After suffering a knee injury in February 2021, Lacey raised funds to pay for the surgery he needed.[16] On 15 February 2022, it was announced that Lacey had decided to leave Chester in order to take up an offer with an unnamed Northern Premier League club.[17] On 16 February 2022, Lacey signed for Northern Premier League Division One West side Warrington Rylands 1906 on a short-term deal until the end of the 2021–22 season.[18] On 29 July 2023, Cymru North side Flint Town United announced the signing of Lacey from Warrington Rylands.[19] Just days later, on 1 August, Lacey's younger brother Luis joined him at Flint Town on loan from Transmere Rovers.[20] He made his league debut for the Silksmen on 18 August against Ruthin Town, receiving a red card in the 53rd minute of the 1–1 draw.[21][22][23] Boxing careerLacey has also fought as a professional boxer, alongside his semi-professional football career and his day job as a carpet fitter.[24] Professional boxing recordPersonal lifeLacey's brothers, Luis and Shea are also footballers, playing for Tranmere Rovers and Manchester United, respectively. He also had an older sister Lauren and nephew Zack.[26][27] Born in England, Lacey is of Irish descent.[28] References
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