Carlisle United favourite Dean Walling on why the Blues will always be 'his' club


He might be a Leeds fan, but Carlisle United will always run in the blood of Dean Walling.

He played for six seasons with the Blues from 1991 - 1997, making 235 appearances and scoring 28 goals (not bad for a centre-back - as he would say.) 

After moving to Lincoln, he now runs a soccer academy coaching young players. They benefit from his experience both on and off the pitch, as a footballer but also as a black man playing when the game was still rife with racism. 

Credit: PA

The son of parents from St Kitts who moved to Leeds, Dean had barely heard of Carlisle before signing with the club but he quickly established himself as a fan favourite.

To mark Black History Month, he's been talking about Carlisle, the racism he encountered at other clubs and whether there's enough non-white coaching staff in the game.