Now he is telling all in his new book, 'Last of the Goalhangers - The man who completed English Football.
Jamie Cureton in action for Bristol Rovers back in 2000(Image: Craig Prentis /Allsport)
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With nearly 1,100 games and over 400 goals under his belt for more than 20 clubs, Jamie Cureton has certainly seen it all in football. And now he is telling all in his new book, 'Last of the Goalhangers - The man who completed English Football.
Cureton made his first-team debut for Norwich all the way back in 1993 - 33 years later he is still playing for Holland FC, who play in the Eastern Counties League Division One North, which is the 10th tier of English football.
The striker is arguably best known for his stints at Bristol Rovers and Reading, having made over 100 appearances for both - although his departure from Rovers is one of the most controversial of recent times - [**you can read the full interview here**](https://https://EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Cureton on that controversial Bristol Rovers exit, South Korea spell, and why he's still playing at 51)
During his four-year spell at the Gas, the striker scored 79 goals and narrowly missed out on promotion to Division One (now known as the Championship), including in 1999/2000 - where for the majority of the campaign, Ian Holloway’s side were in the automatic promotion hunt, but with 10 matches to play, they picked up six points from nine games, and missed out on the play-offs on the final day.
"So the season starts, I'm obviously still here, so I start the first game of the season," Cureton told BristolLive. "We play Bournemouth. I think we drew 1-1, and I scored a penalty. I think that the following week, I get a phone call from my agent - Reading have agreed a fee.
"Then the fee came up, and the fee was £250,000. Bearing in mind, it's nothing to do with me. I have no idea Reading had bid that, and Rovers accepted it. I have three years left. They could have said no.
"Still to this day, I have no idea why it was basically what they bought me for, they sold me for. In my mind, I've had four years, scored nearly 80 goals, and I'm in the top 10 all-time for Rovers. I have no idea."
22 Jan 2000: Jamie Cureton of Bristol Rovers during the Nationwide League Division One match against Oxford United at the Manor Ground in Oxford, England. \ Mandatory Credit: Chris Lobina /Allsport(Image: Chris Lobina /Allsport)
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The Royals travelled to The Mem on Boxing Day in 2000 - the first time Cureton had returned to play Rovers since his departure - before the return game in Reading on January 20, which saw him score the winner.
Discussing these two games, Cureton said: "The problem we had was that I was in the same league as Bristol Rovers. So we came back on Boxing Day of all days to play them. And I got off the bus, and I think for literally two hours I got called a paedophile and everything else. Then obviously left, and then, during all this time, no one said anything.
"And no one's literally, even to this day, like, no one ever made a comment. I spoke to Ollie about it a few years later, and he said he wasn't allowed to make any comment on why I was sold or anything.
"I got sold, and then just hung out to dry by everyone, because no one was prepared to make one statement, which would have stopped everything."
READ MORE FROM JAMIE CURETON ON HIS ROVERS DEPARTURE HERE
Before playing for Rovers, Cureton began his professional career at Norwich City, scoring four Premier League goals in the 1994/95 season. The striker previously had the chance to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, but has spoken publicly about his decision to reject the Red Devils.
He told The Independent in 2014, "When my Dad took the call from Sir Alex, I just said no. I was a United fan as well, so I’m not sure why – maybe loyalty to Norwich, where I already was, or perhaps I thought I would not get the same chance to break through at United.
"I’d been up to Old Trafford at Easter and in the summer holidays, and the others were all there – David Beckham’s only a few months older than me. The one thing that group [the Class of ’92] did not have was a prolific centre-forward, which I was, so you wonder what might have been. But you can’t dwell on it too much. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career, and I still love it."
In the 10 years since he fell out of the professional game, Cureton has played for numerous non-league clubs, including as a player-manager at the likes of Enfield and King's Park Rangers. The 51-year-old now plays for Holland FC, who play in the Eastern Counties League Division One North, which is the 10th tier of English football.
Jamie Cureton scored 41 goals in two spells with Exeter City (Image: Pinnacle )
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His first goal for King's Park Rangers in October 2025 meant he has scored in all of the top 10 tiers in England, becoming the first ever player to achieve this feat.
Cureton admits that he hasn’t thought about the possibility of retirement just yet, but feels there are plenty of avenues for him to go into, especially in football. "I haven't prepared for it," he said when discussing his life post-football.
"That's probably the biggest thing. No, I don't know. I'm not sure what will happen, to be honest. I'll live, I'll get a job. I’ll do whatever it is and get on with life, I suppose."
With nearly 1,100 games and over 400 goals under his belt for more than 20 clubs, Cureton has certainly seen it all in football, and you can buy his new book, 'Last of the Goalhangers - The man who completed English Football,' which was released last week HERE.