Over the years Carlisle United have attracted their fair share of bona fide Cult Heroes; the likes of Stan Bowles, Bill Shankly, Bob Stokoe, Peter Beardsley, Derek Mountfield and, of course, the ultimate one match wonder Jimmy Glass, whose goal saved United from the ignominy of dropping out of the Football League. Nothing particularly special in that necessarily, except that Jimmy's goal came in the last minute of the last match - and he was a goalkeeper! But who would you choose? Billy Rafferty, David Reeves, Tommy Craig, Malcolm Poskett, John Halpin, or Kenny Wilson? Or would you be more old school and plump for Jimmy McConnell, Allan Ross, Alan Ashman, Dick Young, Hughie McIlmoyle or Chris Balderstone? Mark Harrison's book, "Carlisle's Cult Heroes", tells the story of the club through the careers of its 20 greatest icons - the incredibly entertaining and personality-packed players, who have lit up the club's history. During his journey through a pantheon of Carlisle greats, he discovers what made each Cult Hero tick, why he was so idolised by the fans and unearths bundles of new stories, through research and new interviews with fans and players such as Shankly, Stokoe, Craig, Mountfield, Poskett, Reeves and Glass. Find out which United legend was dragged out of a betting shop to play, which centre-forward's moustache was gleefully copied by United fans, which goalkeeper regularly read newspapers during a game, and which striker whispered oaths under his breath to his opponents to put them off and which earned cult status because he couldn't score a goal! Above all, discover what it is about 20 mere mortals that has brought them mythical status in Cumbria.

Author Biography

Mark Harrison has been a Carlisle fan for longer than he cares to remember and contributed to the Carlisle United programme for over 25 years. He lives in Essex and travels hundreds of miles to 'home' games