Carlisle United fans are planning a special tribute to David Wilkes.

Blues supporters are to celebrate the coach, who died last week, with a new flag at Brunton Park.

The design, launched by Flags For United, will feature an image of Wilkes and the description of the long-serving coach made by manager Paul Simpson this weekend.

The United boss described the 59-year-old as “part of the fabric of the club”.

Wilkes, who died suddenly last week, was a hugely admired and influential figure over many years at Brunton Park.

He was responsible for bringing through a wave of talented Cumbrian players at United in the 1990s.

And he played a crucial role in developing further generations of young players at the club.

Wilkes was latterly head of academy coaching at Brunton Park and his sudden passing has affected all at the club deeply.

Flags For United have run a number of successful fundraising campaigns in recent months, both to create eyecatching flags and banners at Carlisle and also charity fundraisers.

They have made the David Wilkes flag the centrepiece of their summer fundraising, and say the flag will be a permanent fixture at Brunton Park.

They are also inviting fans to leave tributes to Wilkes in the comments on the GoFundMe page.

Flags For United are also hoping to raise enough money to produce two further flags celebrating the Blues’ League Two play-off victory at Wembley.

One features Taylor Charters, who scored the winning penalty against Stockport County, with the phrase: “Not bad, eh” – the midfielder’s first words to the News & Star before his post-match interview at the national stadium.

A further design features goalkeeper Tomas Holy hugging the play-off trophy to a backdrop of the flag of his native Czech Republic.

To visit the GoFundMe page and donate, click HERE