Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Prolific striker Jamie Cureton wrote his name into the history books after becoming the first player to score in each of the top 10 tiers of English football thanks to getting his name on the scoresheet for Kings Park Rangers last month, and he has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that he still has no plans to retire at the age of 50. The marksman, who dropped into the Eastern Counties League Division One North to continue his playing career after being dismissed as Cambridge City's player-manager, bagged what proved to be a record-breaking goal for his new employers in a win against Dussindale & Hellesdon Reserves. Cureton has shone for the likes of Reading, Queens Park Rangers, Colchester United and Dagenham & Redbridge since making his prefessional debut for Norwich City in 1993 and, having been prepared to take his goalscoring exploits into non-league, he is still continuing to make an impact in the final third of the pitch. Cureton Proud After Writing Name into History Books Although making history was not at the forefront of Cureton's thinking when he opted to join Kings Park Rangers a matter of weeks after he was relieved of his duties in the Cambridge City dugout, he took the opportunity with both hands after finding the back of the net in a victory over Dussindale & Hellesdon Reserves. A long-range strike gave the goalkeeper no chance and resulted in pundits around the world insisting that the former England under-18 international had completed football by scoring in each of the top 10 divisions, but it still took some time for the euphoric feeling to sink in. Cureton, speaking exclusively to GMS, said: "It probably means more now the dust has settled a bit. I've been playing through the levels and knew I'd scored in nine tiers, but it was never anything on my mind. I lost my job as player-manager at Cambridge City and was a bit lost, so I thought I needed a buzz to get some excitement back. "I knew a few people at Kings Park Rangers, but I had no idea when I agreed to join that it would be the 10th tier. They literally posted it a day after I signed, saying, if he scores for us, he's completed football, so to speak. Once I knew that, I thought it would be brilliant if I could do it. "Scoring was a bit of a weird experience because of the euphoria. It was just a crazy moment. I've done more interviews, I think, in the last two weeks than I've done in my career. I'm immensely proud. I always wanted to keep playing for as long as possible. But to achieve that and be the first person to do it is unbelievable." Cureton's record-breaking effort came at the Avant Training Centre, with Championship side Norwich's base doubling up as the home of Dussindale & Hellesdon Reserves, and he feels that getting his name on the scoresheet where he already had happy memories was always meant to be. "It was at Norwich's new training ground," he added. "I even spoke to a few people and said, 'I scored my first goal there. It would be great for it to happen there'. Sometimes, things are just written in the stars and I was very, very pleased." Cureton's Love of Game is Secret to Extended Career Cureton has reached numerous milestones over the course of his career, including winning the Championship Golden Boot during the 2006/07 campaign, while he also clinched promotion when on Reading and QPR's books. But he insists his biggest achievement is still being involved on the pitch at the age of 50. The centre forward believes that avoiding long-term injuries and the indescribable feeling of finding the back of the net have contributed to a burning desire to continue lacing up his boots despite also having spells in the dugout for Bishop's Stortford and Enfield, along with being a player-assistant coach at Maldon & Tiptree. When asked what keeps bringing him back to football, Cureton confirmed: "I think it's just the love of the game. I'm not playing for money. I'm playing for the same reasons as when I started, which was just pure fun and joy. I played on the streets of Bristol from the moment I could walk and then I obviously played throughout the levels. "It's a case of not wanting to end and having a drive, so if my body is going to allow me to play, why would I not? The biggest thing I've always said is that I'll never have anyone retire me. I'd hate to get to a point where an injury retired me, like it has to so many of my friends. Thankfully, I've been able to keep going. "I've always said that if a club wants me and I feel I can do a job for the club without letting people down, I'm always open to playing just because of the joy and the moments that I've had at Kings Park Rangers already. That's why I play. I could have scored my record-breaking goal anywhere, but I would have celebrated exactly the same. "It meant as much to me doing that at Norwich's training ground as it did scoring anywhere else. You'll speak to many ex-pros and they all say they miss the changing room. Being allowed to still do that and still be in that environment is unbelievable. So that's the main reason I just love playing. "I try and do everything right, to still allow my body to keep going and not just expect it and hope it does. I still work hard. I go to the gym, look after myself and still probably live more professional now than I did when I was a young kid." GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Jamie Cureton averaged a goal every 181 minutes during the 2013/14 League Two campaign, when he was on Cheltenham Town's books Norwich Results Lead to Cureton Fearing Relegation Although Cureton enjoyed some of the biggest highlights of his career when at Norwich, his former employers are currently enjoying a season to forget. Only Sheffield Wednesday, who have gone into administration, are below them in the Championship standings and head coach Liam Manning was axed following a last-gasp defeat to fellow strugglers Leicester City last weekend. The Canaries are four points adrift in the relegation zone, leading to there being serious fears of dropping into League One if they do not get the next managerial appointment right. Their former fan favourite is concerned that they could find themselves languishing in the third tier should they fail to enjoy an upturn in form in the coming weeks. When asked whether he fears Norwich dropping out of the Championship, Cureton conceded: "I think you have to, at the moment. I don't know what's going on. Obviously, there had been a lot of talk about the manager and how other managers had been sacked for doing jobs similar to him, but Norwich were still sticking with him. "Something had to change. He had to either get it right and results had to start changing or, ultimately, he had to go. They will have to build because this is a team that should be at the top of the Championship, battling to get into the Premier League. I was there a long time ago and we got relegated to League One. It's not a team that should be at that level. "We know what can happen to clubs that drop down a division. It can take a while to get back up, so I fear for them if they carry on how they are because they can't buy a result at the moment. Aspirations of promotion and the play-offs are dead in the water. They need to be worried more about just getting points to get out of the relegation zone." Bournemouth Praised After Promising Start to Term Although Norwich are struggling at the wrong end of the Championship, another of Cureton's former clubs have been thriving in the early stages of the campaign. Bournemouth, where he had a spell on loan during the 1995/96 season, have gone into the international break just four points adrift of second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League. Spanish tactician Andoni Iraola has got Cherries supporters dreaming of European qualification, despite last weekend's 4-0 loss to Aston Villa consigning the south coast side to back-to-back defeats, and their expansive brand of football has led to there being optimism that they can continue challenging at the top end of the table. "I think they've been outstanding," admitted Cureton. "There are a lot of clubs that have built something and it has been very sustainable. With their recruitment and the managers they have got in over the years, they're just another one of the clubs that have achieved that. "After the amount of players they sold in the summer and the money they made, people thought they were going to struggle. But these clubs always seem to find someone for less money who comes in and does a good job, so they're reaping the rewards and they are an entertaining team to watch. "It's a shame that, once they do that, everyone starts taking their players and they've got to start again, but it hasn't impacted them this year. I was only there for a short time, but it's a good club. It's been built from when I was there all the way up. I think it's good for the Premier League to have teams like that. They have shown that they can be very sustainable and compete at the highest level for a long period."
