'i'd Be Lost Without Football' - The Ex-premier League Striker Playing At 49

As he nears his 50th birthday, Jamie Cureton is not successful immoderate hurry to telephone it a time aft a playing profession spanning 22 clubs, 3 promotions and 3 relegations.

"I've conscionable registered myself arsenic a subordinate for nan 2025-26 play and would for illustration to make astatine slightest 1 quality aft my birthday," says Cambridge City's player-manager arsenic he prepares his squad for Saturday's FA Cup other preliminary information necktie astatine Kirkley & Pakefield.

Cureton was 19 erstwhile he made his Premier League debut for Norwich City against Everton, external successful November 1994.

Back then, Oldham Athletic and Swindon Town had conscionable been relegated from nan apical flight, Neville Southall was Everton's goalkeeper and Blackburn Rovers were connected their measurement to being crowned champions of England.

Cureton will make it a singular 32 successive seasons arsenic a subordinate crossed 9 tiers of English football, from nan Premier League to nan Essex Senior League, should he move retired for Cambridge City this campaign.

The database of clubs he has represented is endless.

Norwich, Bournemouth (loan), Bristol Rovers, Reading, Busan I'Cons (South Korea), QPR, Swindon Town, Colchester, Barnsley (loan), Shrewsbury (loan), Exeter, Leyton Orient.

There's more.

Cheltenham, Dagenham & Redbridge, Farnborough, Eastleigh, St Albans City, Bishop's Stortford, Enfield, Hornchurch, Maldon & Tiptree and now Cambridge City, wherever he is astir to commencement his 2nd play successful charge.

"Football is each I person ever known," Bristol-born Cureton tells BBC Sport.

"I grew up successful an area wherever problem was around. Maybe I would person fallen into nan incorrect benignant of crowd. Luckily, I had football.

"Anything extracurricular shot is simply a spot alien to me. I'd beryllium rather mislaid without it. Being progressive successful nan crippled keeps maine happy and sane."

Cureton cannot retrieve precisely really galore appearances he has made complete nan past 31 years. "I mislaid count erstwhile I reached 1,000," he adds.

Six years person passed since that bonzer milestone which placed him successful an elite group of players, alongside Barcelona fable Xavi and Real Madrid fable Raul, who person besides achieved this feat.

According to Wikipedia,, external Cureton has clocked up 1,075 games and is 25th connected nan database of antheral footballers pinch 1,000 aliases much charismatic appearances.

One of those games progressive a tin of hairspray from a joke shop, erstwhile nan then-20-year-old dyed his hairsbreadth green for Norwich's crippled pinch fierce rivals Ipswich successful 1996.

His astir caller competitory quality was connected 26 April, erstwhile nan 49-year-old came connected arsenic a 68th-minute substitute successful Cambridge City's 1-0 triumph distant to Basildon Town successful beforehand of 123 fans successful nan eighth-tier Isthmian League North Division.

Cureton was 24 years older than team-mate Junior Mubiayi, who scored City's winner.

"In position of goals, successful my caput and from what group person told me, I'm either 4 aliases six distant from 400," he says. "I'd for illustration to decorativeness connected 400 aliases above."

Since his past master quality aged 41, Cureton has moved into guidance successful non-league, pinch player-manager roles astatine Bishop's Stortford, Enfield and now Cambridge City.

"It wasn't thing I had successful my mind," adds Cureton, who played nether nan likes of Martin O'Neill, Ian Holloway, Alan Pardew and nan late Glenn Roeder earlier dropping into non-league.

"I stumbled into management. I sewage offered a domiciled astatine Bishop's Stortford and it conscionable snowballed. I thoroughly bask it."

Cureton besides enjoyed a two-year stint arsenic an academy coach astatine Arsenal betwixt 2017 and 2019, wherever players nether his watch included a 16-year-old Bukayo Saka.

"It's nary astonishment to spot him doing what he's doing to beryllium honest," he says of Saka, who has 44 England caps astatine nan property of 23.

"He's a very bully guy, humble, nary airs and graces astir him. He conscionable came successful and worked hard. A clever boy arsenic well, he was bully astatine school.

"Working for a nine for illustration Arsenal was unbelievable. I learned truthful overmuch and it was a awesome opportunity for me."

Cureton turns 50 connected 28 August, 2 days earlier his team's location crippled pinch Wroxham.

Will he gift himself an quality successful that crippled and execute his target of playing astatine 50?

"I won't ever put myself supra players who I consciousness request nan opportunity and request to beryllium playing," says Cureton, who scored 4 times successful 17 Premier League appearances successful his first play astatine Norwich successful 1994-95.

"I won't prime myself complete them. I've registered for this play successful lawsuit I'm needed, successful lawsuit I request to remainder players.

"Towards nan extremity of past play we'd mislaid a fewer players and had a fewer injuries, and location was an opportunity wherever I felt I could play."

Cambridge City, founded successful 1908, vanished 11th successful 2024-25 and Cureton is targeting a top-five decorativeness and a play-off spot successful his 2nd play successful charge.

These are breathtaking times for nan Lilywhites, who moved to a marque caller 3,000-capacity crushed astir 7 miles southbound of Cambridge past November.

A crowd of 1,459 watched them play Tilbury successful their first competitory crippled astatine nan FWD-IP Community Stadium, aft 10 years of ground-sharing.

Earlier this month, 2,640 turned retired astatine nan venue to watch a friendly against neighbours Cambridge United., external

"We've sewage a young squad and I'm older than astir of their dads!" adds Cureton.

"If I tin thief immoderate of them pinch their game, aliases moreover pinch their life, past I deliberation I americium doing my job."

Cambridge City's crippled astatine Lowestoft-based Kirkley & Pakefield is 1 of 222 FA Cup other preliminary information ties scheduled for this weekend, 11 weeks aft Crystal Palace hit Manchester City successful nan last astatine Wembley.

The Lilywhites reached nan 2nd information successful 2004, their champion tally successful nan competition, erstwhile Cureton was playing successful nan Championship for QPR.

Cureton helped Bristol Rovers scope nan last-16 successful 1998-99 and would, if circumstances allow, for illustration to make 1 last FA Cup quality earlier he hangs up his boots for good.

"I ne'er thought I would still beryllium playing connected nan verge of 50," he says. "I'm very grateful. The thrust to support connected playing is what has pushed maine to this point.

"Football has been bully to maine and hopefully I tin enactment successful nan crippled for different 10 aliases 15 years arsenic a head aliases a coach, and past spell and play immoderate play aliases spell fishing."