 Cureton playing forCheltenham Town in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jamie Cureton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-08-28)28 August 1975 (age 49)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Bristol, England | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cambridge City (player/manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bristol Rovers | |||
| Southampton | |||
| 1988–1993 | Norwich City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Norwich City | 29 | (6) |
| 1995–1996 | →AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 1996 | →Bristol Rovers (loan) | 6 | (4) |
| 1996–2000 | Bristol Rovers | 168 | (68) |
| 2000–2003 | Reading | 108 | (50) |
| 2003–2004 | Busan I'Cons | 21 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Queens Park Rangers | 43 | (6) |
| 2005–2006 | Swindon Town | 30 | (7) |
| 2005–2006 | →Colchester United (loan) | 8 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Colchester United | 44 | (23) |
| 2007–2010 | Norwich City | 69 | (16) |
| 2008–2009 | →Barnsley (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 2010 | →Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Exeter City | 41 | (17) |
| 2011–2012 | Leyton Orient | 19 | (1) |
| 2012 | →Exeter City (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Exeter City | 40 | (21) |
| 2013–2014 | Cheltenham Town | 35 | (11) |
| 2014–2016 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 83 | (26) |
| 2016 | Farnborough | 7 | (8) |
| 2016 | Eastleigh | 7 | (1) |
| 2016 | Farnborough | 1 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | St Albans City | 15 | (4) |
| 2017 | →Farnborough (dual registration) | 8 | (6) |
| 2017–2018 | Farnborough | 23 | (10) |
| 2018–2020 | Bishop's Stortford | 82 | (47) |
| 2019–2020 | →Enfield (dual registration) | 2 | (0) |
| 2020 | Hornchurch | 8 | (2) |
| 2020–2023 | Enfield | 22 | (5) |
| 2024 | Maldon & Tiptree | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | Cambridge City | ||
| Total | 953 | (351) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | England U18[2] | 4 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2019 | Bishop's Stortford (joint player-manager) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Bishop's Stortford (player-manager) | ||
| 2020–2023 | Enfield (player-manager) | ||
| 2023–2024 | Maldon & Tiptree (player-assistant coach)[3] | ||
| 2024– | Cambridge City (player-manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jamie Cureton (born 28 August 1975) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as astriker. He is currently manager ofCambridge City.
He began his career atNorwich City in 1994, and after the club's relegation from thePremier League at the end of the season, has spent the majority of his career in England's lower leagues, apart from a season at South Korean sideBusan I'Cons in2003. One of the only eight English outfield footballers to have made over 1,000 competitive appearances, his career has spanned nine tiers of thefootball pyramid from thePremier League to theEssex Senior League, and has seen him score over 350 goals.[4]
He has played professionally in theFootball League forAFC Bournemouth,Bristol Rovers,Reading,Queens Park Rangers,Swindon Town,Colchester United,Barnsley,Shrewsbury Town,Exeter City,Leyton Orient andCheltenham Town, as well as in non-league forDagenham & Redbridge,Farnborough,Eastleigh,St Albans City,Bishop's Stortford andHornchurch. He representedEngland at under-18 level.
Born inBristol, Cureton began his professional career withNorwich City, before moving on toBristol Rovers. In 1993, he turned down an offer fromManchester United to stay atCarrow Road.[5] AnEngland youth international, he achieved significant status with the Norwich fans when he dyed his hair yellow and green for anOld Farm derby game againstIpswich Town in 1996 and subsequently scoring in the same fixture. He was sold byMike Walker to Bristol Rovers in 1996.
Cureton enjoyed a prolific spell at his hometown club. This was particularly the case during the1999–2000 season where he struck up a partnership withJason Roberts that almost took the club to promotion. After the club dipped out of the play-off places on the final day of the season he decided his future lay with pastures new, and headed toReading.
Cureton moved to Reading in 2000, playing there for three years. While at the club, theReading supporters' trust had a newly discovered star in the"Perseus" constellation named after him.[6] Here he struck a formidable partnership withMartin Butler, becoming one of the most feared combinations in the Football League. In his first season (2000–01), he scored 30 goals, including a goal in the play-off final against Walsall, a game which Reading went on to lose 3–2. The following season however, it was Cureton who scored the goal to get Reading promoted. He scored the equaliser against Brentford in the closing stages, with a deft flick to help it over the keeper, into the corner of the net.
Cureton then made a mid-2003 switch toK League sideBusan I'Cons (now Busan IPark), playing under formerChelsea managerIan Porterfield.[7] He failed to settle in East Asia however, describing the move as "another big mistake" in 2014.[8] Cureton's time playing in South Korea is documented in the book,Who Ate All the Squid?: Football Adventures in South Korea.[9]
After being released from his contract at Busan, he returned to England and joinedQueens Park Rangers on 30 January 2004.[10] One of the more memorable of the six goals he scored there was a volley from a tight angle againstCoventry City which echoed Marco Van Basten's goal against USSR in the Euro 1988 final.[11] After a mostly unsettled season atLoftus Road though, he joinedSwindon Town in June 2005.
He failed to make his mark in his first spell at the club and subsequently joinedColchester United on loan.[12] He then briefly returned toSwindon Town as they failed to avoid relegation toLeague Two. After Swindon's relegation, Cureton activated a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave Swindon on a free transfer, and rejoined Colchester on a permanent basis.[13] His first full season with the U's proved to be hugely successful as the Essex club managed a 10th-place finish in the Championship, partneringChris Iwelumo.
One of Cureton's main highlights in a Colchester shirt was the hat-trick he scored in the 3–0 away win against Essex rivalsSouthend United on 7 April 2007.
His 23 goals in the2006–07 season gave him the Championship Golden Boot as the league's top scorer, and made him the first Colchester United striker sinceTony Adcock to score 20 league goals in a season; the first for 22 years.
On 5 June 2007, due to agent demands, Cureton handed in a transfer request to Colchester United, citing Colchester's ambitions differing from his own.[14] This inevitably fuelled speculation that Cureton might return to Norwich City, the club where he began his career. Cureton himself stated that he would like to return to the club.
Colchester initially rejected the transfer request, saying that Cureton was an important part of the club's future and that they wanted to keep him,[15] though Norwich City managerPeter Grant confirmed that he would like to sign Cureton.[16] Cureton moved to Norwich City for £825,000 on 29 June 2007.[17] He was signed as a replacement forRobert Earnshaw,[18] Norwich's top scorer of the 2006–07 season, who left forDerby County in a £3.5 million deal the same day.
After his success atColchester United, Cureton had a disappointing return to Norwich City.
He scored his first goals for Norwich since re-signing againstKing's Lynn atThe Walks. This was followed up by another goal on Norwich's pre season tour of Holland againstAGOVV Apeldoorn.
He then scored two in theLeague Cup againstBarnet and two on his league debut for Norwich againstSouthampton.
Cureton continued to play very much a bit part during the season and one of his few goals came during the Canaries' 1–0 win atScunthorpe United, a victory that lifted Norwich clear of the relegation places ahead of the Christmas and New Year fixtures.
Due to lack of first team football, on 27 November 2008, Cureton joinedBarnsley on a 3-month loan deal,[19] but on 14 January 2009, he was recalled to Norwich City after Glenn Roeder's termination as manager.[20]
When Norwich played Barnsley on the following weekend, the Canaries were 4–0 victors with Cureton scoring their second.[21] Cureton played his 100th game for Norwich City against Coventry but put in a bad performance and was dropped for the rest of the season.
The following season, newly appointed managerPaul Lambert started Cureton for the first three games, only to drop him to the bench for the next two games, leaving him an unused sub for both.
Cureton scored his first two goals of the season, against Leyton Orient and Bristol Rovers, both in which he came on as a late sub. Cureton scored the winning penalty in a Football League Trophy match against Swindon. However this was to be his last appearance for Norwich as after this he failed to even secure a place on the bench. After being loaned out to Shrewsbury for the remainder of the season Cureton was released by Norwich City.
Cureton joined Shrewsbury Town on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season on 16 February 2010 from Norwich.[22] After a number of starts and a number of unimpressive performances, he was sent back to Norwich prematurely.
Cureton spent the 2010 pre-season on trial withExeter City, stating he would like to link up with a club closer to hisBristol home, and joined on a short-term deal in August 2010. A contract extension saw him continue with the Grecians until the end of 2010–11, a season in which he finished as the club's top scorer, with 20 goals in all competition,s and won the Supporter's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year awards. A deal was offered for Cureton to stay at Exeter for 2011-12 was declined by Cureton, who instead joinedLeyton Orient in June 2011. He scored his first and only goal for the O's on 7 January 2012, in a 4–1 loss atCarlisle United,[23] before re-joining Exeter on loan just under two months later.[24] He scored one goal in seven appearances as the Grecians were relegated fromLeague One. Cureton was released by Orient after the expiry of his contract in May 2012,[25] and signed a permanent deal with Exeter in July 2012. He played 42 games in 2012–13, scoring 21 goals, but was released at the end of the season.[26]
On 17 June 2013, it was announced that Cureton had agreed terms on a one-year deal withCheltenham Town.[27] He ended the season with 11 goals in 36 appearances which included 12 substitute appearances. He was released by the club on 7 May 2014.[28]
On 24 July 2014, Cureton agreed a one-year deal withLeague Two sideDagenham & Redbridge, the 14th club of his senior career.[29] Following the retirements ofRyan Giggs andKevin Phillips andIan Goodison's departure fromTranmere Rovers, 39-year-old Cureton was the oldest onfield player in all four of England's top divisions. He was awarded player of the Year 2014–15 at the Daggers on the last home game of the season.[5]
Cureton signed a short-term contract withFarnborough in August 2016,[30] before moving toEastleigh of theNational League the following month.[31] In early December, he departed Eastleigh after a change of management, and briefly re-joined Farnborough, scoring in his first game since returning to the club in a 3–2 home defeat againstHanwell Town,[32] before joiningSt Albans City that same month.[33] He returned to Farnborough in April 2017 on dual registration for the remainder of the2016–17 season,[34] and in July a permanent deal of one year was agreed.[35] Having scored ten goals in 23 league appearances for Farnborough, Cureton joinedBishop's Stortford midway through the 2017–18 season, making his début in a 3–0 defeat toRoyston Town on 1 January 2018.[36] In April 2019, Cureton reached the landmark of 1,000 senior club appearances, scoring twice as Bishop's Stortford beatBrightlingsea Regent 3–2.[37] In 2019 he signed dual registration terms withEnfield, who groundshare with Bishop's Stortford. After being sent off eight minutes into his debut on 8 October, he scored in his second appearance on 24 October, becoming the first player to score in the top nine levels of English football.[38] In February 2020, Cureton signed forIsthmian Premier League sideHornchurch.[39] In June 2020, following a brief spell at the club in the2019–20 season,[40] Cureton signed forEnfield.[41]
On 7 October 2023, Cureton, after announcing his retirement from senior football,[citation needed] joined fellow Isthmian League sideMaldon & Tiptree as a coach and was part of the coaching staff for his first game against former clubEnfield.[3] He came out of retirement as a player in March 2024, appearing as a late substitute in Maldon & Tiptree's 1–0 defeat toWroxham on 2 March.[42]
Cureton was appointed as an assistant coach atArsenal's academy in September 2017.[43]
Following the resignation of Adam Flint in September 2018, Cureton became manager of Bishop's Stortford alongside club owner Steve Smith, as an interim to begin with.[44] They guided Stortford to a seventh-place finish in the Isthmian Premier that season. In October 2019 he took sole charge of the position.[45]
In September 2020, he was appointed manager while still an active player at Enfield, becoming player-manager.[46] During the2022–23 season, Cureton guided Enfield to the Essex Senior League title and promotion to the eighth tier.[47] He departed the club on 11 September 2023.[48]
On 7 October 2023, Cureton[citation needed] joined fellow Isthmian League sideMaldon & Tiptree as a coach and was part of the coaching staff for his first game against former clubEnfield.[3]
On 17 May 2024, Cureton was appointed manager of Isthmian League North Division clubCambridge City.[49]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Norwich City | 1994–95[50] | Premier League | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | |
| 1995–96[51] | First Division | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | ||
| Total | 29 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 6 | |||
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 1995–96[52] | Second Division | 5 | 0 | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 1996–97[53] | Second Division | 38 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 40 | 11 |
| 1997–98[54] | Second Division | 43 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 49 | 14 | |
| 1998–99[55] | Second Division | 46 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1[a] | 1 | 55 | 29 | |
| 1999–2000[56] | Second Division | 46 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2[a] | 1 | 53 | 24 | |
| 2000–01[57] | Second Division | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 174 | 72 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 198 | 79 | ||
| Reading | 2000–01[57] | Second Division | 43 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5[b] | 2 | 53 | 30 |
| 2001–02[58] | Second Division | 38 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 16 | |
| 2002–03[59] | First Division | 27 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 32 | 9 | |
| Total | 108 | 50 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 127 | 55 | ||
| Busan I'Cons | 2003[60] | K League | 21 | 4 | — | — | — | 21 | 4 | |||
| Queens Park Rangers | 2003–04[61] | Second Division | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2004–05[62] | Championship | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 33 | 5 | ||
| Total | 43 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 7 | ||
| Swindon Town | 2005–06[63] | League One | 30 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 32 | 7 | |
| Colchester United (loan) | 2005–06[63] | League One | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 10 | 7 | ||
| Colchester United | 2006–07[64] | Championship | 44 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 46 | 24 | |
| Total | 52 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 31 | ||
| Norwich City | 2007–08[65] | Championship | 41 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 45 | 14 | |
| 2008–09[66] | Championship | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10[67] | League One | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 69 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 76 | 18 | ||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2008–09[66] | Championship | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | |||
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2009–10[67] | League Two | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Exeter City | 2010–11[68] | League One | 41 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 3 | 47 | 20 |
| Leyton Orient | 2011–12[69] | League One | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Exeter City (loan) | 2011–12[69] | League One | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Exeter City | 2012–13[70] | League Two | 40 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 21 |
| Total | 47 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 22 | ||
| Cheltenham Town | 2013–14[71] | League Two | 35 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2014–15[72] | League Two | 45 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 20 |
| 2015–16[73] | League Two | 38 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 45 | 9 | |
| Total | 83 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 93 | 29 | ||
| Farnborough | 2016–17[74] | SL Division One Central | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 9 | ||
| Eastleigh | 2016–17[75] | National League | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Farnborough | 2016–17[74] | SL Division One Central | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| St Albans City | 2016–17[75] | National League South | 15 | 4 | — | — | 2[d] | 1 | 17 | 5 | ||
| Farnborough | 2016–17[74] | SL Division One Central | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | 8 | 6 | |||
| 2017–18[74] | SL Premier Division | 23 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 3 | 31 | 13 | ||
| Total | 31 | 16 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 3 | 39 | 19 | |||
| Bishop's Stortford | 2017–18[74] | SL Premier Division | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | |
| 2018–19[76] | IL Premier Division | 36 | 22 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 3 | 43 | 25 | ||
| 2019–20[77] | IL Premier Division | 26 | 16 | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | 31 | 18 | ||
| Total | 82 | 47 | 3 | 2 | — | 9 | 3 | 94 | 52 | |||
| Enfield | 2019–20[78] | Essex Senior League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Hornchurch | 2019–20[79] | IL Premier Division | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Enfield | 2020–21[80] | Essex Senior League | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[81] | Essex Senior League | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 3 | 17 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23[82] | Essex Senior League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 3 | 27 | 8 | |||
| Maldon & Tiptree | 2023–24[83] [84] | IL Division One North | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[85] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 953 | 351 | 44 | 12 | 25 | 7 | 48 | 19 | 1,070 | 389 | ||
Reading
Queens Park Rangers
Individual
Enfield
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
