United media officer and first team kitman Andy Hall spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's James Phillips ahead of Carlisle's Johnstone's Paint Trophy match at home to Crewe, Hall later in the interview talking about the current situation with Blues striker Gary Madine :
JP
The JPT, back here and if they win tonight just two rounds from Wembley, have I got that right?
AH
It is unbelievable isn't it? We will be three games away from Wembley if we can put this one to bed tonight. But, you can't take it for granted, it is a knockout competition and anything can happen. We saw that in the FA Cup at the weekend with some of the so called minnows running the big boys ragged at times.
So, we have got to do it right because this is by no means a team that is a minnow. Dario Gradi has got a habit of bringing young talent through, he just carries on doing it year after year and they will come here to give us a test.
JP
And so much so in terms of not being a minnow that some of the players that they have had in recent seasons, some of the stars that they have brought through, another one in their ranks tonight we are told. Nick Powell is making his debut, but apparently he has never played a competitive match before, but he is going to be watched by Arsenal this evening we are told. You are the man in the know, is there a Gunners' scout here watching Tom Cruise as well?
AH
Absolutely unbelievable, there will be somebody here to watch Tom Cruise yes, so that is interesting to hear that, I didn't know that. But, that is the kind of talent they find at Crewe, I don't know how they do it, I don't know where they get it from, but year after year they churn it out.
JP
Now one name we must talk about who is in the Carlisle United squad is Gary Madine, he is in and starts upfront this evening alongside Mike Grella. I have got that right haven't I.
AH
You have indeed.
JP
He does indeed start, I am just looking down my teamsheet again. Of course we know that he was in court today for his sentencing, what can you tell us at this stage on that?
AH
That legal process is now completed, it has gone on for quite a while since the offence was committed. It doesn't need me or anybody at the club to tell Gary that what he did was wrong. We dealt with him internally at the time, which we will keep internal, that is the club's business and Gary's business.
He knows he has made a mistake, he has now felt the full process of the legal authorities that have come down on that. We felt again at the time that the right thing to do as a club was to support him, and that is what we have decided to do having gone through our own disciplinary process.
The job then was to make sure that we try to turn round what we think is this aside, and by no means do we condone any actions that may or not may have gone on. This aside we do feel he is a genuinely good young man who had to grow up, grow up quickly and get his head down and get on with his job.
Hopefully now that this is behind him, he does have the sentence and everything to serve out for that, and rightfully so. He had to face that, we knew that as a club that he would have to face that and we were prepared to take any consequences that came.
The sentence is out there now so it is up to Gary to show that the support that we have given him has been worthwhile, he needs to pay that back. We think he has been doing that and hopefully that will continue and we can all put it behind us.
JP
Has it been impressed on Gary then I assume from the club what a role model he is to young lads? For instance, there is a young mascot alongside us chomping at the bit to get in the press box here and have his photo taken, and these are the sort of people that look up to Gary.
AH
Gary knows that, he knows that more than anybody. He was disappointed with himself but he had that legal process to go through and the spotlight has been on him because of that. I think at Hartlepool he did agree to talk to the club, which was an unusual move for him, he wasn't talking to anybody at the time. He wanted to talk to us after his hat-trick and he did want to say that he was really sorry to the fans.
There are fans out there who will be listening to this now asking what the club are playing at and why are we supporting him. Well, he is a young lad and we feel that we are going to support him, we wanted to support him and hopefully that support will be repaid with Gary's hard work, getting down, getting out into the community now and showing what a decent lad he is.
JP
And just to clarify, the sentence in court today has been 250 hours community service, a £300 fine (ed - £3,300 in compensation and costs), a one year conditional discharge and he is on Pubwatch for 18 months as well. It could have been a lot worse for a young man who really I guess must learn his lesson now?
AH
I really don't know on the sentences, I don't know how those things work and I would never profess to be an expert on that. So, we had to take whatever sentences came. He knows what he has got to face up on that side of it now for the actions that were taken then.
But, now we just want to continue to support him, get him through any support that he needs to get him through this. Hopefully he will come out of the other side of it, as he has been showing over the last few months, a stronger and better man for it.
JP
Yeah, I must say on this point that we know the errors of Gary Madine ways, but whenever I have spoken to him he is a very nice young man who on the pitch is starting to show he has got a very bright future for Carlisle United.
AH
He made a mistake, he has paid for that mistake. In our eyes the club have dealt with him, the legal authorities have dealt with him. We want to continue to support the lad and move on from here.