By Amanda Little

Last updated 12:46, Wednesday, 03 September 2008

As jubilant Carlisle United fans left Brunton Park with a spring in their step after Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Yeovil, teenage goal hero Gary Madine’s celebrations threatened to turn sour.

Gary Madine

The Brunton babe, who turned 18 only the previous week, sneaked out the back door to avoid reporters, armed with microphones and notebooks and waiting to talk to him about scoring his first senior goal.

On the pitch, Madine is a fearless, extrovert striker, who has scouts from Premiership clubs tracking him, but off it he is crippled by shyness – and even the thought of conducting an interview makes him blush bright red and become lost for words.

It was only two days later, after much coaxing from United boss John Ward and youth team coach Eric Kinder, that Madine agreed to conduct interviews about the biggest moment in his promising career.

Former Brunton babe Rory Delap understands exactly how Madine feels – because he went through the same when he became the youngest-ever Carlisle United debutant at the age of just 16 before being sold to Derby County in a £2million deal in 1998.

At 32, Delap, from Great Corby, is a fully-fledged Premiership star with Stoke City and an old hand at giving press interviews, but he was once in Madine’s shoes and having to cope with life in the spotlight when he was still a teenager.

“One minute you’re playing for the school team and then the next you’re in a club’s first team and you’re completely thrown in at the deep end,” said Delap.

“If you start doing well, you’re expected to be able to do interviews with reporters and talk about yourself – and you’re terrified and convinced you’re going to drop yourself in it. I didn’t enjoy doing them at first because I didn’t know what to do or what to say. You don’t do anything to prepare for it as I had no media training as a kid.

“It’s only at the last couple of clubs I’ve been at that I’ve had some media training. They got people in and we did mock interviews in front of the cameras.

“Being able to deal with media interest and doing interviews comes with time, Unless you do it, you will never learn. The important thing to remember is that if you’re asked for an interview, it is a compliment. It means you’re doing something right on the pitch.”

As well as receiving media training, Delap believes young players should be given more support on how to cope with life in the public eye.

The former Republic of Ireland international said: “It’s hard getting used to life in the spotlight. I still get embarrassed about being asked for autographs.

“People don’t understand that you’re feeling shy and just think you can’t be bothered. I know players who blank fans – and that’s totally wrong. I can remember being a kid and asking people for autographs myself.

“Whether you win or lose, play badly or play well you have to remember that the people asking you for autographs are just kids, and you have to blank your personal feelings.

“You don’t think about that side of being a footballer. You’re so busy training and learning about the game that you forget there is another side to it all.

“I think there should be media training included in what young players do at academies.”