Cureton turns 50 on 28 August, two days earlier than his staff’s dwelling sport with Wroxham.

Will he reward himself an look in that sport and obtain his goal of enjoying at 50?

“I will not ever put myself above gamers who I really feel want the chance and must be enjoying,” says Cureton, who scored 4 occasions in 17 Premier League appearances in his first season at Norwich in 1994-95.

“I will not decide myself over them. I’ve registered for this season in case I am wanted, in case I have to relaxation gamers.

“In direction of the tip of final season we might misplaced a number of gamers and had a number of accidents, and there was a possibility the place I felt I might play.”

Cambridge Metropolis, based in 1908, completed eleventh in 2024-25 and Cureton is focusing on a top-five end and a play-off place in his second season in cost.

These are thrilling occasions for the Lilywhites, who moved to a model new 3,000-capacity floor about seven miles south of Cambridge final November.

A crowd of 1,459 watched them play Tilbury of their first aggressive sport on the FWD-IP Group Stadium, after 10 years of ground-sharing.

Earlier this month, 2,640 turned out on the venue to look at a pleasant in opposition to neighbours Cambridge United., exterior

“We have a younger squad and I am older than most of their dads!” provides Cureton.

“If I may help any of them with their sport, and even with their life, then I believe I’m doing my job.”

Cambridge Metropolis’s sport at Lowestoft-based Kirkley & Pakefield is considered one of 222 FA Cup additional preliminary spherical ties scheduled for this weekend, 11 weeks after Crystal Palace beat Manchester Metropolis within the ultimate at Wembley.

The Lilywhites reached the second spherical in 2004, their finest run within the competitors, when Cureton was enjoying within the Championship for QPR.

Cureton helped Bristol Rovers attain the last-16 in 1998-99 and would, if circumstances permit, wish to make one ultimate FA Cup look earlier than he hangs up his boots for good.

“I by no means thought I might nonetheless be enjoying on the verge of fifty,” he says. “I am very grateful. The drive to maintain on enjoying is what has pushed me up to now.

“Soccer has been good to me and hopefully I can keep within the sport for one more 10 or 15 years as a supervisor or a coach, after which go and play some golf or go fishing.”