Carlisle cash in on Delap - February 9, 2001
Republic of Ireland international Rory Delap could help his old club, Carlisle, avoid dropping out of the Nationwide League! Delap played his 100th game for Premiership Derby County against Sunderland on Saturday - and that triggered a further £100,000 payment for the third-division club.
Play-anywhere Delap was a £200,000 signing from Carlisle in 1988 and is now valued at over £3.5 million. He is Derby's best striker - and their best midfielder and defender!
The extra money comes as a godsend to Carlisle, who are second from bottom of the Football League. Manager Ian Atkins believes his squad, though rooted near the bottom of the third-division table, is just two or three players short of a promotion-challenging side.
Thanks to Delap, he will now be able to buy those players immediately, to help stave of the drop to the Conference.
Ironically, while helping his old club, Delap delivered a blow to his current one. He limped out of that match against Sunderland, missed the midweek FA Cup defeat against Blackburn and is now extremely doubtful for tomorrow's crunch Premiership trip to Leeds.