Jamie Cureton

3.1. Early Career and Norwich City

Cureton made his professional debut with Norwich City in 1994. After the club's relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 1994-95 season, he continued to develop his game in the First Division. A memorable moment for Norwich fans occurred in 1996 during an Old Farm derby against Ipswich Town, where Cureton, having dyed his hair yellow and green for the occasion, scored in the match. Despite his connection with the club, he was sold by manager Mike Walker to Bristol Rovers in 1996.

3.2. Bristol Rovers and Reading

At his hometown club, Bristol Rovers, Cureton enjoyed a highly prolific spell. His time there was particularly successful during the 1999-2000 season, where he formed a formidable attacking partnership with Jason Roberts. This partnership nearly led the club to promotion, though they ultimately missed out on the play-off places on the final day of the season. Following this, Cureton sought new opportunities and moved to Reading in 2000, where he played for three years.

During his time at Reading, Cureton became a popular figure, with the Reading supporters' trust even having a newly discovered star in the Perseus constellation named after him. He forged another strong partnership, this time with Martin Butler, creating one of the most feared attacking duos in the Football League. In his first season, 2000-01, he scored 30 goals, including a goal in the play-off final against Walsall, which Reading unfortunately lost 3-2. However, in the following 2001-02 season, Cureton scored the crucial equalizer against Brentford in the closing stages with a deft flick over the goalkeeper, securing Reading's promotion.

3.3. K League and Return to England

In mid-2003, Jamie Cureton made a significant move to South Korea, joining K League side Busan I'Cons (now Busan IPark), where he played under former Chelsea manager Ian Porterfield. His registered name in the K League was 제이미_Jeimi^Korean. However, Cureton found it difficult to settle in East Asia, later describing the move as "another big mistake." His experiences playing in South Korea are documented in the book Who Ate All the Squid?: Football Adventures in South Korea.

After being released from his contract at Busan, Cureton returned to England and signed with Queens Park Rangers on January 30, 2004. Among the six goals he scored for QPR, a memorable volley from a tight angle against Coventry City was likened to Marco van Basten's iconic goal in the Euro 1988 final. Following a largely unsettled season at Loftus Road, he joined Swindon Town in June 2005.

Cureton initially struggled to make an impact during his first spell at Swindon and was subsequently loaned to Colchester United in October 2005. He briefly returned to Swindon as they faced relegation to League Two. After Swindon's relegation, Cureton activated a contract clause allowing him to leave on a free transfer, and he rejoined Colchester United permanently in June 2006. His first full season with the U's, 2006-07, proved to be immensely successful. Colchester achieved a 10th-place finish in the Championship, with Cureton forming a strong partnership with Chris Iwelumo. A highlight of his time at Colchester was the hat-trick he scored in a 3-0 away win against Essex rivals Southend United on April 7, 2007. His 23 goals in the 2006-07 season earned him the Championship Golden Boot as the league's top scorer, making him the first Colchester United striker in 22 years to score 20 league goals in a season since Tony Adcock.

3.4. Norwich City Return and Lower League Stints

On June 5, 2007, citing differing ambitions, Cureton submitted a transfer request to Colchester United, which fueled speculation about a return to his boyhood club, Norwich City. Cureton himself expressed a desire to return. Colchester initially rejected the request, stating his importance to the club, but Norwich City manager Peter Grant confirmed his interest. Cureton eventually moved to Norwich City for 825.00 K GBP on June 29, 2007, signed as a replacement for Robert Earnshaw, who had left for Derby County in a 3.50 M GBP deal on the same day.

However, Cureton's second spell at Norwich City was disappointing compared to his success at Colchester. He scored his first goals since re-signing during pre-season against King's Lynn and AGOVV Apeldoorn. This was followed by two goals in the League Cup against Barnet and two on his league debut for Norwich against Southampton. Despite these early goals, he played a limited role during the season, with one of his few significant contributions being a goal in a 1-0 win at Scunthorpe United, which helped lift Norwich clear of the relegation zone.

Due to a lack of first-team opportunities, Cureton joined Barnsley on a three-month loan deal on November 27, 2008. He was recalled to Norwich City on January 14, 2009, following the termination of manager Glenn Roeder's contract. In the subsequent match against Barnsley, Norwich secured a 4-0 victory, with Cureton scoring their second goal. He played his 100th game for Norwich City against Coventry, but a poor performance led to him being dropped for the remainder of the season. The following season, newly appointed manager Paul Lambert started Cureton in the first three games but then relegated him to the bench. Cureton scored his first two goals of that season against Leyton Orient and Bristol Rovers, both as a late substitute. He also scored the winning penalty in a Football League Trophy match against Swindon. This would be his final appearance for Norwich, as he subsequently failed to secure a place even on the bench. After being loaned to Shrewsbury Town for the rest of the season, Cureton was released by Norwich City. His loan spell at Shrewsbury Town, which began on February 16, 2010, was also short-lived and unimpressive, leading to his premature return to Norwich.

Cureton spent the 2010 pre-season on trial with Exeter City, expressing a desire to join a club closer to his Bristol home. He signed a short-term deal in August 2010. A contract extension saw him remain with the Grecians until the end of the 2010-11 season, where he finished as the club's top scorer with 20 goals in all competitions. He also received the Supporter's Player of the Year and Player's Player of the Year awards. Cureton declined an offer to stay at Exeter for the 2011-12 season, opting instead to join Leyton Orient in June 2011. He scored his first and only goal for Orient on January 7, 2012, in a 4-1 loss at Carlisle United, before rejoining Exeter on loan less than two months later. He scored one goal in seven appearances as Exeter was relegated from League One. Cureton was released by Orient in May 2012 after his contract expired and signed a permanent deal with Exeter in July 2012. In the 2012-13 season, he played 42 games, scoring 21 goals, but was released at the end of the season.

On June 17, 2013, Cureton agreed to a one-year deal with Cheltenham Town. He concluded the season with 11 goals in 36 appearances, which included 12 substitute appearances. He was released by the club on May 7, 2014. On July 24, 2014, Cureton signed a one-year deal with League Two side Dagenham & Redbridge, marking his 14th senior club. Following the retirements of Ryan Giggs and Kevin Phillips and Ian Goodison's departure from Tranmere Rovers, the 39-year-old Cureton became the oldest on-field player in all four of England's top divisions. He was awarded Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season at Dagenham & Redbridge's last home game.

3.5. Later Career and Milestones

In August 2016, Cureton signed a short-term contract with Farnborough, before moving to Eastleigh of the National League the following month. In early December, he left Eastleigh after a change of management and briefly rejoined Farnborough, scoring in his first game back in a 3-2 home defeat against Hanwell Town. Later that month, he joined St Albans City. He returned to Farnborough in April 2017 on dual registration for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, and a permanent one-year deal was agreed in July. Having scored ten goals in 23 league appearances for Farnborough, Cureton joined Bishop's Stortford midway through the 2017-18 season, making his debut on January 1, 2018, in a 3-0 defeat to Royston Town.

In April 2019, Cureton reached the remarkable milestone of over 1,000 senior competitive club appearances, scoring twice as Bishop's Stortford defeated Brightlingsea Regent 3-2. In 2019, he signed dual registration terms with Enfield, a club that groundshares with Bishop's Stortford. After being sent off eight minutes into his debut on October 8, he scored in his second appearance on October 24, becoming the first player to score in the top nine levels of English football. In February 2020, Cureton signed for Isthmian Premier League side Hornchurch. Following a brief spell at Hornchurch in the 2019-20 season, Cureton signed for Enfield in June 2020.

On October 7, 2023, Cureton announced his retirement from senior football and joined fellow Isthmian League side Maldon & Tiptree as a coach, being part of the coaching staff for his first game against his former club, Enfield. However, he came out of retirement as a player in March 2024, appearing as a late substitute in Maldon & Tiptree's 1-0 defeat to Wroxham on March 2.

6.1. As a player

Reading

• Football League Second Division runner-up: 2001-02

Queens Park Rangers

• Football League Second Division runner-up: 2003-04

Individual

• Football League Championship Golden Boot: 2006-07
• PFA Team of the Year: 2012-13 League Two

6.2. As a manager

Enfield

• Essex Senior Football League Champions: 2022-23