Carlisle player Gary Madine faces jail over pub assault
- Published
Gary Madine has recently signed a new contract with Carlisle
A Carlisle United footballer has been warned he faces jail after admitting knocking a man unconscious in a pub.
Gary Madine had previously pleaded not guilty to causing actual bodily harm to the man in the Beehive pub in Warwick Road, Carlisle, on 27 February.
But the 20-year-old striker changed his plea to guilty at the city's crown court on Tuesday.
Madine claimed he hit the man as a "pre-emptive strike" after fearing he was about to be assaulted.
Granting Madine bail until the sentencing hearing, Judge Paul Batty QC warned him that all options, including custody, would be open.
Madine, who comes from Birtley in County Durham, currently lives in Warwick Road, Carlisle.
He made his first team debut against Nottingham Forest in March 2008.
Last month he signed a new extended contract which will keep him at Brunton Park until August 2013.