Last updated at 12:07, Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Former Carlisle United hitman Karl Hawley today joined the clamour to praise Dave Symington’s wonder free-kick – but insisted he should never have had the chance to take it.

Threat: Karl Hawley

The teenager’s sensational goal in the 1-1 draw with Hawley’s Scunthorpe has been described as one of the best goals ever seen at Brunton Park.

But Iron scorer Hawley said the set-piece that allowed Workington’s Symington to work his magic should not even have been awarded.

“The only thing that matters is that nobody could have stopped it,” he said. “The lad scored an absolute wonder goal.

“Looking back, though, there was a foul on Reidy [Paul Reid] from [Lee] Miller and then they managed to get a free-kick that should have been our free-kick.”

Hawley, meanwhile, says he has lost none of his affection for Carlisle and their supporters after he was given a generous reception by the Brunton Park faithful.

The 31-year-old’s magnificent 26-goal haul in the 2005/6 League Two title season has not been forgotten in Carlisle and Hawley added: “It was nice to return and see a lot of old faces, and it was nice to score as well.

“I spent a lot of time at Carlisle. It was probably the best spell of my career and I have a lot of affection for the club.”

Former Blues striker Danny Graham remains a £5.5 million target for Sunderland despite Swansea’s insistence that they want to keep him.

Both manager Michael Laudrup and chairman Huw Jenkins say the Wembley-bound Welsh club want to hold on to Graham.

But reports in the north-east suggest Graham's advisors have indicated his wish to leave, even though he has not handed in an official transfer request.

First published at 12:04, Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk