Carlisle: Courtney Meppen-Walter gets Graham Kavanagh praise

Carlisle manager Graham Kavanagh was impressed by the maturity of Courtney Meppen-Walter during his debut in the FA Cup win over Brentford on Saturday.

The 19-year-old defender arrived at Brunton Park last month after serving a jail sentence following a road traffic collision which led to two fatalities.

"His attitude was very impressive," Kavanagh told BBC Radio Cumbria.

"Considering the awful time he and the families involved must've had, his focus and performance were excellent."

In 2012, Meppen-Walter was on the books at Manchester City and captain of the England Under-18 side when he crashed into another car whilst driving at high speed.

After being sentenced, he served half of his 16-month jail term and shortly after his release was taken on trial by Carlisle.

"I didn't want him speaking to the press so we just told him to train hard so we could judge his ability and fitness levels," Kavanagh explained.

"We worked him very hard and after we told him he'd be starting he was incredibly excited - I think he is just relieved to be playing football."