Paul Brayson has literally lost count of how many at this stage. Can you blame the 45-year-old? Brayson has scored hundreds of goals at all levels, whether it is for Cardiff City in the Championship or Newcastle Benfield in the Northern Football League, and the striker is not finished yet.
While some elder statesmen might not relish a trip to Ashington on a cold Tuesday night, Brayson's love of the game remains undiminished and the former Newcastle United prospect has no plans to hang up his boots anytime soon.
"I'll know straight away," he told ChronicleLive. "I always tend to do pre-season and see what I'm like. If I thought I was struggling and it was my time, I would just be like, 'That's me. I'm away', but we did lots of testing last pre-season and I was up at the top.
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"You'll know yourself when you're done, but it has not come for me yet. It might come in a month's time, two months' time or six months' time. Could I make it to 50? I think that might be pushing it!"
For now, at least, you will still find Brayson popping up at Sam Smith's Park, Glebe Sports Ground and Woodhorn Lane and still scoring goals - just as the delivery driver did all those years ago for Newcastle's youth sides. In fact, Brayson once plundered eight goals in a single game for Newcastle Juniors against their counterparts at Hartlepool in the '90s.
Several members of the first team just so happened to be watching on from the sidelines that day and Brayson was soon called up by Kevin Keegan to train alongside Andy Cole, Barry Venison and his 'hero', Peter Beardsley. Those sessions were not for the faint-hearted.
"If you weren't up to scratch, they let you know but I seemed to be able to cope with it," he said. "When you look back now, bloody hell, some of the players were unbelievable. The training ground was buzzing. In the summer you would get two or three thousand fans watching, which was crazy. It was just a brilliant place to be."
Training only got more intense as the Newcastle snowball gathered pace and further additions followed. By the time Brayson made his debut, in 1995, the youngster was partnering Les Ferdinand up front.
You can probably see why Keegan did not want to tell Brayson he was starting until the morning of the game. It meant that Brayson simply had no time to dwell on the enormity of the situation: he was about to represent his boyhood club.
That League Cup tie against Bristol City remains a 'blur' for Brayson, who can't even remember walking out of the tunnel at St James' Park, but it was the most special night of his career.
"I grew up literally five minutes from St James' and used to pass it most days," he said. "That was always my dream to play for my hometown club."
That was as good as it got for Brayson at Newcastle - one further substitute appearance followed - and the striker still rues Keegan's controversial decision to scrap the club's reserves side, which 'he wouldn't get away with these days'. Brayson did make several match day squads under the Newcastle legend, though, and was even on the bench under successor Kenny Dalglish when the Magpies travelled to Eindhoven to face PSV in the Champions League in 1997.
However, having sampled a taste of first-team football on loan at Swansea City, Brayson was not getting the minutes at Newcastle that were on offer elsewhere and the academy graduate joined Reading in 1998. Brayson may have only known 'home and Newcastle', but the Geordie never looked back.
Brayson has gone on to play for a host of different clubs, including Cardiff City, Cheltenham Town, Northwich Victoria, York City and Gateshead, and the former England C international is still going strong at Newcastle Benfield. So just how has the veteran done it?
"You lose a yard downstairs but maybe you gain a yard upstairs," he added. "When I came into the northern league, there were a lot of experienced players whereas now there are a lot of young lads. Most teams are made up of 18, 19, 20 year olds so you have to use your head a bit more when you're playing against fresh spring chickens.
"I don't think I have lost it. Maybe, sometimes, you get into the positions you used to and you're not as quick, but I'm always confident in front of goal. I'm not one who overthinks it. If I think I'm going to chip him, I'll chip him. If I think I'm going to go round him or sidefoot it in, it just comes like that I'll decide in a split second.
"I've never been phased in front of goal. Even in training, I just love scoring goals, whether it comes off my backside or it's a screamer from 25 yards."
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