Carlisle United: Promotion hero is always guaranteed big Brunton Park reception | OneFootball

The Blues legend is always sure to get the crowd up whenever he returns to his old club.

Hard times lead you to hark back to memories of a gone but fondly remembered era and there's certainly been a lot of that Carlisle United over the last 18 months.

Despite the hopefully life-changing ownership switch that occurred last November when the Jacksonville-based Piatak family bought a majority stake in the club, things have largely been downhill for the Blues since the start of the 2023/24 season.

Carlisle only managed to win seven of their 46 league matches in that campaign, just three of which were in front of a home crowd. Supporters rightfully compared it to the season before, when they won promotion via the play-offs, and thought: 'Why can't it always be this good?'

That's what tough times do. They have you longing for better days, a light at the end of the tunnel; sometimes a shot of nostalgia is required to lift the spirits again. Brunton Park always gets that when a certain Dean Walling comes back to visit his old club.

Dean Walling: A Carlisle United legend

The legendary Carlisle defender was most recently showered by the usual 'Deano' chants when he returned to Cumbria for the Blues' match against Harrogate Town in October and will no doubt get the same the next time he is back.

The club's current players weren't able to capture the spirit of Walling and channel it into their performance to get a result out of a large Brunton Park crowd, but his presence on the pitch at halftime boosted the mood around the ground in what was a rough patch for head coach Mike Williamson and his team.

Walling was part of the iconic Carlisle team that achieved much success in the mid-90s, winning promotion from what was the Third Division in the 1994/95 season, plus the 1997 Auto-Windscreens Shield Trophy (EFL Trophy).

The Saint Kitts and Nevis international scored in the penalty shoot-out which decided that final against Colchester United, at Wembley, avenging Carlisle's loss from two seasons prior versus Birmingham City.

Carlisle United will always be special to Dean Walling

The now 55-year-old's legacy of towering headed goals will forever be remembered by those who have stood on the terraces of the ground on Warwick Road. Carlisle was where Walling made his name in football, playing 236 times for the club - nearly 200 more times than he did for any other team in his career.

Walling played for the border city's side in a much more troubling time. Racism was rife in football and he had to put up with a lot of it.

However, despite Carlisle's lack of diversity compared to other areas of the country, which still largely remains today, the fans quickly warmed and embraced the defender. For him, CA will always hold a place in his heart

"It's a nice place with nice people," Walling told ITV, in 2020. "I do look forward to going back once or twice a year and seeing friends and colleagues that I've played with over time, and friends that I've made up there.

"For me, it's just a lovely place and a lovely part of the world. It's a place that will be in my life forever."