'I scored one of the most iconic goals ever then I retired at 27 for an IT job'

At the age of 25, goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored a goal that will be forever etched in English football folklore. By 27, he had quit to become an IT salesman before switching trades and driving taxis to make a living.

Amid an underwhelming journeyman career, the streets have never forgotten the Surrey-born goalkeeper. Not the streets of Carlisle anyway, after his injury-time goal against Plymouth Argyle in May 1999 saved the club from relegation out of the football league. After joining on loan from Swindon, his third and final game for the club culminated with him being hoisted high during a pitch invasion, his place in club history forever secure.

The glory of that goalmouth scramble wasn't enough to resurrect his career, though. A series of brief and unsuccessful stints elsewhere followed before he hung up the gloves, leaving Bournemouth as the only team he was able to represent regularly.

He played 95 league matches there between 1996 and 1998. He also scored an own goal in the club's 2-1 defeat to Grimsby Town in the Football League Trophy final and was the last player to suffer such a fate before the Twin Towers were demolished.

Thankfully for Glass, his lowest moment is scarcely remembered in comparison to his highest one.

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Post-career, though, reality set in. He once opened up on how his famous goal had provided fame, but certainly not fortune. He said: "It is quite tough because some go on to fame and fortune, and some go on to driving a cab and living a normal life like me.

"It is quite difficult to understand your place in life, from being this guy who will never be forgotten to being the guy worrying about your next bill. But the goal was an amazing part of my life and is there to be enjoyed, and I will until people get bored with me."

Ironically, Glass, 51, is now back in football. Since July 2023, he has served as general manager of non-league Premier Southern South outfit Wimborne Town.

However, his responsibilities have little to do with goalkeeping or goalscoring. He's primarily charged with managing the club's operational programmes, overseeing community schemes, and improving the infrastructure.

While he was picking up passengers in his taxi, very few customers would have recognised the man picking them up. True football fans don't need to see his face, though. For those who know, the name Jimmy Glass is enough.