“The chairman has pretty much retired me!” laughs the former Reading and Bristol Rovers striker, who remains on the club’s books as player-manager at the grand old age of 47.
“He made it very clear last summer that he thinks I’m more use managing the team and I can’t really argue – it’s the first year I’ve hardly played and we won the league.
“To be fair, the forwards were doing so well that I had no reason to play myself. As much as I want to play, the group is more important and everything was working so well.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough. I still feel like I could do a job. And my son Roma, who is seven, always wants to see me on the pitch.
“He watched me play last season and I scored a hat-trick so every week it’s ‘Why don’t you play?’.
“I feel a bit bad for him because my two grown-up sons saw me play in my prime, so maybe I’ll just send him to the owner and play the sympathy card!”
Cureton’s prime was prolific indeed, featuring 20-goal seasons at every level of the EFL and the Championship Golden Boot with Colchester in 2006-07.
He subsequently featured in Non-League for the likes of Farnborough, Eastleigh and Bishop’s Stortford before joining Enfield FC as player-manager in 2020 and has now clocked up 376 goals in 1,066 appearances.
Domestic bliss
But if this is to be the end of Cureton’s remarkable 29-year playing career, the family legend could yet live on.
Denne historien er fra June 04, 2023-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
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Denne historien er fra June 04, 2023-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
WRAGGY WILL BE SORELY MISSED
MACCLESFIELD FC have led the tributes to “colossal” former manager Peter Wragg, who has passed away.
BURY & RAMMY HIT BIG STAGE!
BRYANLY’S late penalty kept Bury top of the tree in front of another record-breaking crowd at Gigg Lane on Boxing Day.
BRAVE BERKO ARE ON TRACK
Ducks demolition maintains title tilt
OWLS THAT! CLEE GLEE ON TOP OF THE TREE
CLEETHORPES Town maintained their four-point lead at the top of NPL East with a hard-fought 2-1 derby win over North Ferriby at the Myenergi Stadium.
HAWKS SWOOP IN FOR DERBY GLORY
REUBEN AUSTIN hailed Havant & Waterlooville teammate Leon Maloney’s wonder goal as ‘a hell of a strike’ as the Hawks continued their promotion push with a 3-1 local derby success over Gosport Borough.
JULIUS DICTATES - BUT FANS MIST IT
JULUS Ndene handed Leek Town a famous victory in the mist – not that any of the fans got to see it!
GOLDEN BROWN BACK AT THE TOP
PHIL Brown gave his Kidderminster Harriers players Christmas off – and was rewarded with a climb to the top of the tree.
BRENNAN'S BOYS SALVAGED IN 'KAMIKAZE' YEAR END
STRAIGHT talking Dean Brennan lamented ‘kamikaze’ defending despite seeing his Barnet nick a dramatic late point to end 2024 at the National League summit.
FIVE-STAR PIRATES PUMMEL ROVERS
IN the final game of the year at the Ledger Stadium, second-placed Real Bedford faced off against fourth-placed Barton Rovers, who arrived as the league’s in-form side.
MOORE'S LATE GOAL SEALS BIG REDS WIN
GEORGE Moore was the hero grabbing a stoppage-time winner to sink Kingstonian and take Uxbridge to third in the table in what is becoming a fascinating promotion race in the Pitching-In Isthmian South Central.
