First Hatters league start proves bittersweet for Lacey

The 20-year-old defender turned in a largely reliable performance and his bow was the culmination of years of hard graft after working his way through the youth set-up.

Lacey had figured prominently in pre-season under boss John Still and said: “I knew I was in with a chance of starting and I was very happy to get the starting place.

“It shows my work at trying to impress him has worked and I’m just delighted to be in the team. Hopefully I can stay in the team for a lot more games.”

Lacey had impressed throughout pre-season and has high hopes that he has finally been recognised under Still, who has a history of developing young talent.

He added: “I’ve been working on it for many years and didn’t really get my chances under the last couple of managers.

“I’m definitely aiming for 30-plus appearances, I really need to keep going and keep the desire to keep the place.”

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