Jamie Cureton is a former England Youth international with a remarkable eye for goal. He scored 82 times in 90 Youth team matches and had a similarly impressive rate for the Reserves. However he has not always impressed the occupants of the Carrow Road managerial seats and was never a first team regular whether under John Deehan, Martin O'Neill , Gary Megson or Mike Walker.

He made his debut in a goalless draw against Everton on 5th November 1994 and scored his first senior goal just thirteen seconds after coming on as substitute against Chelsea on December 10th 1994. At the start of the 1996-1997 season, Jamie had made 29 league appearances for the Canaries scoring six times. Of these, the most striking was the April 1996 derby with Ipswich in which Jamie sported a remarkable green hairstyle. A spell on loan to Bournemouth produced another 5 appearances. The return of Mike Walker as Norwich manager did not provide any further opportunities for Jamie to play for the first team. A successful loan spell at Bristol Rovers where he scored with frightening regularity was followed by a permanent move to this his hometown side.

Norwich fans wished Jamie all the best especially as there was a sell-on clause in the transfer deal. This may reap some benefits in the 1998 close season as Bristol Rovers made all their squad available for transfer in order to generate funds to keep top scorer Barry Hayles at the club. Jamie's 13 goals made him a potential target. Since Hayles joined Fulham in mid November 1998 for £2million, a greater reliance was placed on Jamie to score the goals for Rovers. Jamie lived up to this on Saturday 16th January 1999 when he scored four goals for Rovers in their 6-0 away win against Reading. The unlucky Royals keeper was Scott Howie. Jamie's form for Bristol Rovers earned him the attention of both Birmingham City and Norwich. He ended the 1998/99 season as the Second Division's leading scorer with 29 goals.

According to Yahoo's Teamtalk service, Burnley made enquiries about taking Jamie to Turf Moor for the new season.
Jamie's impressive form continued into the 1999/2000 season and Sport First reported on 7th November that Tottenham had made initial enquiries although they had also been linked with Wimbledon's Carl Cort, Man United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Celtic's Marc Viduka. If Tottenham opted for Jamie's services, they would face competition from Fulham, Bolton and Wolves, according to the 28th November edition of Sport First. They predict a £1.5million move before the New Year. In January 2000, Sport First speculated that Jamie would be joining Leicester for £2million despite interest from Spurs and Aston Villa. On 30th January 2000, the Sunday People reported that West Bromwich Albion were looking to spend the £4million received from Juventus for Enzo Maresca on a new forward. Jamie was mentioned along with Fulham's Barry Hayles although Teamtalk added Iwan Roberts to this shortlist. The West Brom link resurfaced on 14th May 2000 in The Sunday Mirror whilst other sources strongly linked Jamie with a move to First Division Stockport County with Jamie supposedly disillusioned at Rovers' failure to gain promotion.

In July 2000, both Jamie and his striking partner Jason Roberts requested transfers and were placed on the transfer list. Scottish side Hibs stepped in with a transfer bid on 23rd July 2000 rumoured to be either £350,000 or £500,000. Rovers dismissed the bid as being too small though Jamie expressed an interest in joining a big club like Hibs. Despite the hopes of Norwich fans that Jamie would re-sign for the Canaries to replace Craig Bellamy, Jamie instead signed for Reading on 21st August 2000 for a fee of £250,000. Jamie's goals were instrumental in taking Reading to a place in the Division Two play-off finals but despite scoring the opening goal in the final at the Millennium Stadium, Reading lost 3-2 to Walsall and so will remain in Division 2 for another season. Reading's failure to gain promotion provoked comments from Cureton as to the future of his own career. These in turn sparked speculation from the likes of Teamtalk who suggested that ambitious/wealthy Cardiff would be keen to sign him. West Bromwich Albion were also linked with the possibility of renewing Jamie's striking partnership with ex-Rovers forward Jason Roberts. This move became more likely following the Baggies' sale of Lee Hughes to Coventry for £5million in August 2001 although any such move would take place after Jamie returned from the injuries that prevented him making the start of the 2001/02 season.

In January 2002, Jamie was linked with a move to QPR as he had not been a regular in the Reading side. However he stayed in Berkshire and scored the equaliser in the 20th April clash with Brentford that gave Reading second place in Division Two and promotion. Speculation linked Jamie with a £400k return to Norwich in December 2002 as he was not playing in Reading's starting eleven. Jamie had hinted earlier in the season that he would not rule out a return to Carrow Road when his contract expires at the end of the 2002/03 season. The media also speculated that Charlton boss Alan Curbishley might make a move for Cureton during the January 2003 transfer window whilst Bolton were also said to be keen.

At the end of the season, he was linked with a move to QPR where he would team again with manager Ian Holloway who had been at Rovers with him. Bristol Rovers are also said to be keen to re-sign Jamie whilst Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is said to be a big fan. Jamie revealed that he also had interest from clubs in Korea and the USA, and he embarked on a trial with DC United - with whom Paul Dalglish had trialled the previous year. Bristol City were the next club said to show an interest in Cureton's services - possibly as part of a deal that would take one of City's starlets (Murray or Doherty) to Reading.

Whilst Jamie hoped for contact from Norwich City, whom he described as a "special club, this was not forthcoming. Therefore he opted to sign for his old manager Ian Porterfield who was managing South Korean side Pusan Icons (also Busan Icons). Jamie signed in early July for the Icons an eighteen month contract that will see him through to November 2004. Jamie said that of the offers from English sides there was "nothing to match what has been offered to me in Korea". He described the facilities as Premiership in style and the standard of the game as comparable to the English Division One. Prior to his move, Jamie had scored 139 goals in 365 matches in English competitive football.

Jamie didn't settle in Korea and was released from his contract in November 2003. Whilst QPR were the favourities to sign him, Bristol City were also been linked as have Brighton. In the first week of January 2004, Jamie joined Sunderland on trial. Bristol City manager Danny Wilson also revealed that he had been in close contact with Jamie's agent. BBC Ceefax linked Jamie with a move to Peterborough on Thursday 29th January 2004. This was reported as a done deal in many other media sources but Jamie surprisingly signed for QPR, on 2nd February 2003, whose manager Ian Holloway he knew from his time with Bristol Rovers. His first few months at Loftus Road finished with QPR promoted into Division One.

In March 2005, speculation linked Cureton with a move to Rangers' West London neighbours Brentford but this was dismissed by Bees' manager Martin Allen. In May 2005, QPR announced that they wouldnot renew Jamie's contract. Cureton and colleague Tony Thorpe were linked with a move to Swindon on May 23d 2005. This materialised on 1st July 2005 with Thorpe signing a one year deal with Swindon and Cureton signing for two years. They replaced Ipswich-bound Sam Parkin. Jamie was unable to make an impact in the Swindon first team and on 21st October, was loaned to Colchester initially for a month, making his debut the following day as substitute against Tranmere. In the end, Jamie stayed at Colchester until the beginning of January 2005. He scored seven goals in nine starts for the U's as they went on a uccessful streak of losing just once in fourteen games. Colchester are hoping that Swindon will loan Cureton to them again later in the season. This didn't happen but following Swindon's relegation to League Two, a clause in Cureton's contract suggested that he would be free to leave the County Ground. Colchester were then linked with a swoop for him on 28th May 2006 in The News of the World. This came true on 5th June 2006 with Cureton indeed invoking a clause in his contract to ensure a free transfer following Swindon's relegation

Cureton had an impressive first season at Layer Road with his 24 goals winning him the Championship's Golden Boot award. On 5th June 2007, he handed in a transfer request stating that he is concerned the club's ambitions do not match his. The 31-year-old had one year to run on his current contract and it is understood the club have been negotiating an extension with him. Former club Norwich admitted that they were keen to sign him and Cureton expressed a desire to return to Norwich. Hull City also made a bid of £250,000 but Colchester replied saying they wanted three times that figure. Jamie returned to Norwich on 29th June 2007 for an undisclosed fee. He made his second debut for Norwich in the 5-2 defeat of Barnet in the first round of the Carling Cup on 14th August 2007 with Jamie scoring twice - the first coming just over two minutes into the match.

Cureton scored his first senior hat-trick for the Canaries in the 5-1 win over his former club Colchester United on 22nd March 2008.This took him to a career total of 199 goals.He finished his first season back with the Canaries scoring 14 goals.

Out of favour at Norwich during the autumn of 2008, Cureton asked to go out on loan to get some first team fitness. On 27th November 2008, he was loaned to Barnsley for three months, although Norwich can recall him within 24hrs after 28days. He made his debut in the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 29th November 2008. Akthough ineligible for Barnsley's match at Carrow Road on 17th January 2009, Norwich recalled Cureton on 14th January 2009 shortly after the sacking of Glenn Roeder.

Falling out of manager Paul Lambert's plans in the autumn / winter 2009, speculation was rife that Cureton would be off-loaded in the January 2010 transfer window and on 4th January, Cheltenham manager Mark Yates was rumoured to have Cureton on his wish-list whilst Gillingham were also linked. Instead Jamie signed for Shrewsbury on 17th February 2010 on loan until the end of the 2009/10 season.