James Caton

Here was another player I was utterly convinced would go on to do much better than us. He was picked up by Chris Moyses and is the player I alluded to in the introduction. James Caton arrived at the club not long after I came back from Cambridge and I felt he illuminated those final few weeks of the season.

In eight starts he managed three goals, one an absolute stunner against Eastleigh in a fine 3-0 win. On the expiry of his loan, he was linked with a City return but the change of manager suggested he might end up elsewhere. Still, Danny Cowley brought him back in on trial throughout the close season of 2016/17 and it seemed a deal was in the offing. He appeared in most of the pre-season friendlies and it was a case of ‘when’ he signed rather than ‘if’.

However, at the eleventh hour, he was told there was no deal with Nathan Arnold coming in instead.

I think another reason I put him on my cult heroes list is that he was one of the first players I interacted with as a blogger. He messaged me (whilst I was on holiday in Sorrento) to thank me for an article I wrote (here, if you’re interested) and for the support. He seemed a lovely lad and it personalised a footballer perhaps for the first time for me. Plenty followed (Paul Farman, Bradley Wood and Alex Woodyard) but James Caton stood out for me.

It’s a surprise he’s never managed to get back into the Football League though, but at 26 the ship hasn’t sailed yet.