It does not take Jamie Cureton long to name his favourite goal.
“My goal for Reading against Brentford. It’s one of my favourites and probably the most important. I scored the equaliser than sent us up and kept them in the play-offs.”
That was on the final day of the 2001-02 Second Division season, when he was 26.
Almost a quarter-of-a-century on, Cureton – who turned 50 in August – is still playing. That is an achievement in itself.
And on October 25, he made history as the first person in history to score in the top 10 divisions of English football, when he hit a stunner in Kings Park Rangers’ 4-1 Eastern Counties League Division One North win over Dussindale and Hellesdon Rovers.
The video of the goal immediately went viral. The media interest has come from far and wide – he has done interviews with English, French and German media.
Cureton was playing for Norwich in the Premier League in 1994/95
“I didn’t think it would last this long!” he tells Sky Sports.
“Our tiers are so different than others around the world and I think people like that. And for someone to do it who made his debut in 1994 is bit crazy.
“It always gets spoken about that I’m still one of the only players from when FIFA first came out to still be playing!
“It’s been really nice that so many people have thought it’s such a good achievement and for me as a sportsman to achieve something that other people haven’t. I’ll definitely be more proud of it as time goes on.”
The milestone goal came only 10 days after Cureton – who puts his longevity down to “just general healthy living” – joined the club and just over a month after he was relieved of his duties as Cambridge City player-manager.
There was no desire to jump back into management straightaway, so he signed up at Kings Park Rangers, who groundshare with Cornard United, nearby to where he lives in Sudbury, Suffolk.
When he did, the club’s announcement on X said a goal at Step 6 was all that he needed to achieve the feat, which was not something he was aware of.
“I knew I’d scored in nine, but it hadn’t been spoken about for a long period of time so it was forgotten about,” he says.
“Josh Pollard, co-owner of the club, had a message from someone saying I’d not scored at Step 4. So Josh started to have a panic as he thought I’d scored for Cambridge City at Step 4 when I was managing, I hadn’t.
“But he checked it out and found I’d scored for Farnborough at Step 4.
“We played the first game, which got a lot of hype because of it. I think the boys were desperate for me to score, so they were just giving me everything and it didn’t work.
“When the goal came about, because of the type of goal it was, it made it explode more than if I’d have scored a tap-in or something. I’ve scored so many of that type; it’s a finish that I always enjoy and have worked on it a lot.
“I’d remember most of my goals if I had the time, but as a finish, it’s probably up there with some of my best.
“Josh was buzzing and couldn’t wait to get home to post it and, from the moment he did, I’ve had to charge my phone about three times a day, every day, where it’s just constant!
“When I played we didn’t have social media, so it’s nice to have another hurrah and have people speak about you. In football you’re quite easily forgotten. You get to a point where you’re not the footballer anymore, you’re just a normal guy and everyone moves on to other players.
“To have something like this at my age and having being out of the professional game for about nine years has been made – but definitely I won’t complain!”
Cureton does not get paid to play for Kings Park, but he does not mind.
“I’ve always stayed grounded and wherever I was playing, it wouldn’t make any difference,” he adds.
“I could turn up anywhere and still enjoy playing football. Ultimately, once the whistle goes, you’re on a pitch. There’s goals, and you just go and enjoy it. I’ve purely come here through wanting to play and have some fun.
“There’s bigger occasions and bigger crowds, but the actual feeling you get inside when you’ve scored in a game that counts… you can’t replace it.”
Until the next managerial or media venture comes along, he is content. He will be even more so if and when he reaches the 400-goal milestone.
Jamie Cureton was 26 when he scored his favourite goal – he scored what might be his most memorable in October aged 50
“That’s the target. I was told quite a while ago I only needed six and then I’ve checked different things and it seems to be between 10 and 12, so I’ve said to myself, if I get 10, that should be enough.
“But I’d hate to score it, thinking it’s the 395th or something, and it’s actually the 400th!
“Everything else beyond that is quite far away. I’m closing in on 1,100 games, so again that would probably be another thing. If I can do both of them this season, I say this every time I’ve got a target, but I’ll be happy.
“I’m not going to make 1,200 games, I’m not going to score 500 goals, so they would be the two that would probably stop it and anything beyond that would just be stuff I’m just doing for fun. But they’re two targets I’d like to get.”
And as for the future beyond that?
“I’ll keep doing it, as long as I’ve got the time and I feel OK to do it. I’ll just keep showing up and running around for a bit and scoring a few more goals.
“I’ve always said that if someone wants me and I feel I can do a job for them and the team and I’m not letting anyone down, then I’ll continue to play, wherever that be, whatever level that is.”
Jamie Cureton’s love affair with football is far from over.
