Jimmy Carter

Carter began his professional career aged 14 at Crystal Palace, who released him when 19, and then had a brief spell with Queens Park Rangers, but failed to make a league appearance for either club. Millwall bought Carter from QPR in 1987 for £15,000 and gave him his Football League debut in a 0–0 draw with Oldham at The Den in the Second Division. He quickly established himself in the first team and was an integral part of the team which gained promotion to the top flight in 1987–88, the first time ever in Millwall's 100-year history. In December of that season, Sheffield United defender Chris Wilder was sent off for a crude tackle on Carter.

Carter was part of a side that included players such as Teddy Sheringham, Tony Cascarino and Terry Hurlock. Millwall made a strong start to the 1988–89 season where he went top of the league at the beginning of October and remained in the top four most of the season, before a failure to win any of their final 10 league games saw them slip to tenth, their lowest position all season. They were relegated in bottom place the following season, but Carter initially stayed with the club. Carter left Millwall on 10 January 1991, when Kenny Dalglish signed him for Liverpool for a fee of £800,000. Dalglish resigned shortly after, with Ronnie Moran taking temporary charge of the team for two months until Graeme Souness took over in April. Carter would play eight first team games for Liverpool, and after just nine months at Anfield he was sold…

In August 1992, Carter was the second British Asian to play in the Premier League (after Robert Rosario who played three days earlier in the opening week of the new competition), although this was not known at the time as he did not publicly disclose his background and his name did not make it obvious. Since retiring as a player, Carter has been involved in the world of property investment, and was a member of the commercial sales team at Millwall from 2015. He has also worked as freelance floor manager for televised football matches, and as a pundit and co-commentator for radio.

Carter was born on 9 November 1965, of mixed ancestry. His British surname came from a 17th-century ancestor who moved to India and married an Indian woman. His father Maurice originated from Kanpur in India, and was brought up in Lucknow. After being orphaned at 14, Maurice joined the merchant navy, came to England, and married Jimmy's English mother. When they divorced, Maurice brought up Jimmy and his brother 'as Indian kids'. Maurice (who died in January 2009) encouraged Jimmy to make it as a footballer, waking him early on frosty mornings to train.

Millwall

Second Division: 1988