After Omari Patrick signed for Carlisle United a second time, we take a look at some past Blues players who’ve returned for more than one permanent spell at Brunton Park.
The attacker is in some pretty good company...
JACKIE CAPE
Carlisle-born forward Cape joined United from Penrith in 1929, and his impressive performances took him to Newcastle United after just 18 appearances. Spells with Manchester United and QPR followed, before he rejoined Carlisle in 1939. World War Two meant Cape’s second debut did not happen until 1945. After a brief spell with Scarborough, he returned to United a final time in 1946.
IVOR BROADIS
One of United’s greatest names first came to the club as the youngest player-manager in Football League history – aged just 23 – after being posted to RAF Crosby-On-Eden after World War Two. Broadis gave United distinguished service for three years before approving his own sale to Sunderland. The England star later returned from Newcastle in 1955, where his experience alongside the likes of Alf Ackerman, Jimmy Whitehouse and Alan Ashman illuminated Brunton Park.
JACK LINDSAY
Scottish forward Lindsay joined the Blues from Bury in 1947 and was immediately prolific under Broadis’s management. Remained until 1950 and then, after spells with Southport and Wigan Athletic, came back for another shorter-lived go at Brunton Park in 1954.
GEOFF TWENTYMAN
Powerful Cumbrian defender Twentyman starred from 1946-53, including an impressive spell under Bill Shankly, before Liverpool snapped him up for a fee which helped rebuild a stand at Brunton Park. After a later stint at Ballymena, he returned to Carlisle in 1963, later earning renown as a top scout back at Anfield.
HUGH MCILMOYLE
The great Hughie Mac’s prolific first spell at United in Divisions Four and Three took him to Wolves in 1964, only for the Scot to return in 1967. Another fine scoring stint followed, leading to moves to Middlesrough, Preston and Morton – before McIlmoyle returned for a third hurrah in United’s 1974/5 top-flight season.
GEORGE MCVITIE
A true Blues legend, Carlisle lad McVitie emerged as a talented young winger in the mid-1960s and gave starring performances over five years. Moves to West Brom and Oldham followed, before McVitie restored his quality and experience to United’s side in 1975 for another five years.
GRAHAM ‘TOT’ WINSTANLEY
Former Newcastle prospect Winstanley came to United in 1969 and his five years of solid service included a memorable winner against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup. After five years at Brighton, he brought his defensive experience back to Cumbria in 1979 for another campaign.
MIKE MCCARTNEY
One of United’s most consistent servants, defender McCartney joined United from West Brom in 1973 and a seven-year spell saw the Scot give the Blues plenty of quality service, not to mention a penalty-taking knack. Spells with Southampton and Plymouth Argyle followed, before McCartney brought his experience back to Cumbria in 1983 for another four-year stint.
DAVE MCKELLAR
Up there among the Blues’ finest custodians, McKellar impressed after joining from Brentford in 1983, keeping an impressive tally of clean sheets in the Second Division before moving to Hibernian in 1985. He returned in 1988, and was the last line of defence in a promotion push in 1989/90 until his late-season sale to Kilmarnock weakened Clive Middlemass’ team.
PAUL BAKER
Baker’s first spell was as a young striker in the mid-1980s. After two years, he moved to Hartlepool in 1987…and some 12 years and six years later, he made the opposite move, adding his experience to a struggling side’s attack and also taking a player-coach role.
BRYAN ‘POP’ ROBSON
The great north east goalscorer joined United from Sunderland in the spring of 1981, helping them stay in the Third Division before, the following season, firing them up a level. After a switch to Chelsea, he returned on loan, and then rejoined permanently from Sunderland in 1984, also going on to have a spell in the manager’s chair.
MALCOLM POSKETT
An icon of United’s 1980s attack, Poskett was an impressive goalscorer in the Second Division after joining from Watford. After three seasons he moved to Darlington and then Stockport, only to return in 1986 for two more campaigns, during which he also had a short spell in temporary charge.
PAUL GORMAN
Former Arsenal and Birmingham midfielder first joined the Cumbrians in 1985, and made close to 150 appearances in a four-year spell. After stints with Shrewsbury and Shelbourne, the Dubliner returned to Cumbria in 1991 for a short stint before moving on to Gretna.
TONY FYFE
Carlisle-born striker Fyfe stepped up from amateur football for the Blues in 1988 and was a mainstay of their squad until 1990, when he moved to Halifax. He returned later that year in an exchange deal which sent Steve Norris to the Shay. Fyfe remained with his home-city club until the end of the 1991/2 campaign.
IAN STEVENS
Arch goal-getter Stevens was a £100,000 signing from Shrewsbury in the summer of 1997 and netted 29 goals in two campaigns before leaving for Wrexham. He came back in 2000 under Ian Atkins and supplied 23 more in the next two years. The Malta-born marksman could even have had a third spell in his veteran years had Roddy Collins got his way.
PAUL MURRAY
Home-grown midfielder Murray burst onto the scene in 1995 and by the middle of the season he had been snapped up by QPR. England Under-21 and B honours followed, and after spells with Oldham, Southampton and Beira-Mar, Murray made an emotional return to Brunton Park in 2006, where he played a further season, and later rejoined the club as a coach.
SCOTT DOBIE
One of United’s top home-grown talents of the late-1990s, Dobie came through the ranks impressively and fired his way to a move to West Brom in 2001. After playing in the top two tiers and for Scotland, he returned from Nottingham Forest in January 2008, remaining until 2010.
TONY CAIG
The west Cumbrian keeper, a mainstay an Wembley hero of United’s successes in the 1990s, eventually moved on to Blackpool in 1999. More than 10 years later, he rejoined the Blues as goalkeeping coach and back-up keeper to Adam Collin, and later had a stint as joint caretaker manager.
LUKE JOYCE
A young signing from Wigan in the title season of 2005/6, Joyce fought his way into the side before going on to have a long and respected spell at Accrington Stanley from 2009. Six years later, he rejoined the Blues under Keith Curle and was a regular part of their League Two midfield for three seasons, then moving on to Port Vale and now Fylde.
DEREK ASAMOAH
The veteran striker joined after a spell in South Korea in 2014 and, over two seasons, helped keep the Blues up before memorably scoring at Liverpool in the League Cup. Left in 2016, before returning for a further spell the next season, along with full-back Alex McQueen who had also left that summer.
STEVEN RIGG
The Cumbrian, having broken scoring records for Penrith, was handed a professional chance by the Blues in 2014 and scored on his debut at Hartlepool. After being released at the end of his second season, he returned from Queen of the South for a shorter second spell under Curle in 2017.
ADAM COLLIN
Cumbrian keeper Collin joined United from Workington Reds in 2009, and over four years contributed to two Wembley runs, including one victory, and League One campaigns under Greg Abbott. Returned from Notts County in 2018, and was player of the season under John Sheridan and Steven Pressley, before captaining the side the following term.
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