Last updated 13:07, Tuesday, 15 April 2008

SHOCKED Cumbrian soccer star Paul Huntington says raging Carlisle United fans have threatened to KILL him after his controversial behaviour in Saturday’s League One clash at Elland Road.

Leeds United’s Carlisle-born defender infuriated the travelling fans from his home city by repeatedly brandishing his badge and making offensive gestures in their direction as the Yorkshire side came back to win 3-2.

Huntington, who also clashed with Carlisle assistant manager Greg Abbott after the final whistle, today apologised to the United faithful for his antics and admitted he had been “stupid”.

But he revealed that the backlash in Cumbria, which saw his mobile phone number passed around angry Carlisle fans on the internet on Saturday night, had turned sinister.

“My girlfriend and sister have had quite a lot of threats, and people have been saying they are going to kill me when I come home,” he told News & Star Sport.

“You don’t know whether to take that seriously but it’s worrying to hear.”

Former Trinity School boy Huntington, 20, turned to face Carlisle’s 1,710 travelling fans in the 28,530 crowd after each of Leeds’ three second-half goals, prompting some to report him to police officers for inciting the away support.

“I was stupid to do it,” he said. “It was heat of the moment and I went over the top. I haven’t got anything against the Carlisle fans and they are within their rights to be angry and not to let it go.

“I just hope they can accept my apology because I’m genuinely sorry for what happened.

“The last thing I wanted to do was offend anyone. I should have held my emotions inside and kept quiet.

“I was distraught after the game because I knew I shouldn’t have done it. On the way home my girlfriend said she’d never seen that side of me. I’m not that type of person.

“I want to apologise to the Carlisle staff as well if I aggravated them. It was unacceptable and I apologise to the whole club.”

Former Newcastle United youngster Huntington said he had hundreds of friends and family both in the home and away seats on Saturday and his initial displays of emotion were directed at them, before he went over the top.

“Scott Dobie’s my half-cousin and I was speaking to him a lot, and I know Danny Graham quite well,” he added. “But a few of the other Carlisle players were giving me stick on the pitch because I’m from Carlisle.

“I was a bit wound up, and with us losing for a long part of the game it was a bit frustrating. But that’s no excuse.

“People might think I’m a big-head or arrogant now but I’m normally a laid-back lad. It has backfired on me and on my family and that’s the last thing I wanted to happen.

“When we went into training on Sunday morning for a warm-down was down, the first thing Neil McDonald told me was to change my number because he had heard the messageboards were being quite aggressive towards me.

“The gaffer (Gary McAllister) said everyone makes mistakes and it just happened to me on Saturday. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t do it.

“I always used to come and watch Carlisle when I was a young lad and whenever I wasn’t playing much at Newcastle. It’s still the first result I look for.”