ACE Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller joined the select centurion band of British footballers when he finished a mazy run with a glittering goal to put Stoke City 2-0 up in their 3-2 victory over Birmingham City in the Barclays Premier League last Tuesday evening.

In notching his 100th goal in Britain, Fuller joined Lloyd Lindbergh ‘Lindy’ Delapenha, the first Jamaican to play professionally in the English top league, who achieved the feat (103 goals) while playing for Portsmouth (1948 -1950) and Middlesbrough (1950-1958).

“I’m very happy, I feel wonderful to reach this milestone,” an elated ‘Wily Boo’ told the Sunday Observer from England on Thursday.

The 31-year-old, who hails from Tivoli Gardens in western Kingston, admitted he only became aware of the feat after the game.

“No, I didn’t know that it was my 100th goal in Britain until after the game people started shouting out my name and it was all over SkySports and everybody started congratulating me, the club, the chairman, professionals from all over the country and then I checked my stats and realised that it was indeed true,” Fuller explained.

Since he started his career in Britain in 2001 with a three-month loan at Crystal Palace, Fuller has not looked back, though his career has been constantly interrupted by injuries.

Fuller tallies 47 goals for Stoke City, 31 for Preston North End, 10 with Southampton, nine with Hearts in the Scottish League, two with Ipswich Town in three games on loan, and one with Portsmouth.

The former Camperdown Manning Cupper completed a great week yesterday for himself and his club when he hit the first goal in his team’s 2-0 triumph over English giants Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium. Trinidadian teammate Kenwyne Jones hit the second to make the game safe.

Fuller was substituted in the 87th minute after committing four fouls and picking up a yellow card.

Following last Tuesday’s display, the mercurial striker came in for the highest praise from Stoke City’s chairman Peter Coates, who said Fuller was one of the finest strikers to have played for the club.

The 72-year-old Coates, who has been supporting the club since the 1940s, told the media: “Ricardo’s goal against Birmingham was amazing. He is one of the best players ever to play for Stoke City. I absolutely believe that.

“He is strong, quick and very few players can control a ball at pace like he can. He’s a very special player.”

Fuller’s tally for Stoke came in 124 starts and 42 substitute appearances since signing for £500,000 from Southampton four year ago.

It is said Coates needed no convincing about Fuller when club manager Tony Pulis decided to sign him. He said: “I saw him playing for Preston when he first started and he stood out a mile. He is appreciated here, but I’m not sure the outside world has appreciated just how good he is.

“If you look at our outstanding players over the year, he is up there in that company. And he’s achieved things here while the club has enjoyed one of its best periods,” Coates told Stoke & Staffordshire.

Fuller was flattered by Coates’s comments.

“I didn’t even know that he said that because I don’t really read the papers, but it’s a tremendous feeling to know that a club owner like Mr Coates is saying something like that about me, especially when it’s your own club as well.

“It just shows how the club, players, fans look up to me and respect me enough to compare me with such great players from the Stoke City history. It’s just a wonderful and great feeling.”

Pulis, too, was full of praise for Fuller, referring to him as one of his best signings.

“He’s been a very, very good signing,” Pulis said. “We took a massive risk with him because he was down on his luck when we signed him. But if you had a compilation of goals he’s scored for this football club, you’d be amazed at the quality he’s got.”

Pulis reckons a DVD compilation of the Jamaicans greatest goals for Stoke would become a best-seller this Christmas. Mahy regard last Tuesday’s strike at Fuller’s best in Stoke colours, but Pulis has his doubts after seeing so many great strikes over the last four years.

Pulis told Stoke & Staffordshire: “I’ve got a great relationship with Ric, so I probably understand him better than most people. I know from looking into his eyes whether he’s with us or not, and he looked ready the other night.”

But Fuller’s journey in the British league has not been without its obstacles. In fact, he literally started on the ‘back foot’ after a £1 million transfer to Charlton Athletic was scuppered last minute when he failed a medial, courtesy of a back problem, which required surgery 10 years ago.

Since then he has been troubled with knee and shoulder injuries, the last being a right shoulder dislocation in late September when he went on as a second half substitute in an away 2-1 win at Newcastle.

Such was the high risk nature of his various injuries that at one time he could only sign ‘pay as you play’ deals.

“With the shoulder problems that I am having I was happy to start the game, to get through 90 minutes and then to win the game and score that wonderful goal as well, that was mainly the aim, but the icing on the cake would have been that 100th goal, it was great,” reiterated Fuller.

Yesterday’s strike has taken his tally for the season to three.

He explained: “Before that game (last Tuesday) I missed five games and I was not sharp enough and I was obviously trying to get my fitness back.”

But now he’s looking ahead for better things. “The shoulder is getting stronger everyday because I’ve been resting it and getting my physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes. Now whenever I train or play I have to strap it up in a shoulder brace which the club had bought for me to wear, so I can’t play or train without it. It is a precautionary measure so that the shoulder does not slip out again. Hopefully in another couple of weeks to a month the injury would be healed.”

Despite the difficulties, Fuller is still happy to have had a career.

“It has been an up and down journey in British football so far, mainly because of one thing, injuries. From a boy coming through the Jamaican system, through Under-20 scoring 14 goals in 14 games, scoring four goals in one game, injuries have set me back massively,” he recalled.

“Personally for me, I have never given up and everybody should know that about me. I’m a very determined player and I never let anything come between me and my dream of becoming a professional football player and trying to make it in life to help myself, the rest of my family, the people around me, my good friends and stuff like that.”

Regarding his international career, Fuller says he’s always ready to don the Jamaican colours when asked to do so.