By Thom Kennedy

Last updated at 11:42, Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Carlisle United have vowed to ‘move on’ after disciplining goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley, who was yesterday convicted of drink-driving.

Lenny Pidgeley

The 25-year-old stopper signed for the Blues in the summer after spells with Premiership giants Chelsea and fellow League 1 side Millwall, vowing to leave his boozy past behind him.

However, Carlisle magistrates yesterday banned Pidgeley from driving for three-and-a-half years, his second drink-driving conviction following a court appearance in Kingston-Upon-Thames in 2004.

The club have said they are to draw a line under the latest incident.

Pidgeley was disciplined internally before pleading guilty to the drink-driving charge yesterday morning.

A club spokesman said: “We were aware of the player as an individual before he came here, and he said at the time that he was here to kick start his career and get back on track.

“It is an incident he regrets deeply, but it has been dealt with legally and internally, and we are now ready to move on.

“We haven’t heard anything from the terraces, the fans have accepted it is an incident that has been dealt with and they want to move on as well.”

Pidgeley’s move to Cumbria came as part of an attempt to kick start his career away from the bright lights of London.

In April 2008, with his then club Millwall battling relegation, photographs of the keeper being carried out of London’s trendy Funky Buddha nightclub – after a night celebrating a Champions League victory with his former Chelsea team-mates – were printed in national tabloid newspapers.

He was stopped on the A6 at Carleton near Carlisle at around 4am on August 30.

A police officer had seen him driving quickly between Eastern Way and Warwick Road in Carlisle, and followed him onto the southbound M6 at Junction 43, with his blue light flashing.

The officer reported seeing Pidgeley reach an estimated speed of 100mph as he drove down the motorway, before coming off at Junction 42 and heading onto the A6, where he finally pulled over. He was found to have 66 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35.

In court, solicitor Patrick Shimmin representing Pidgeley said: “He is new to Carlisle and being unused to the area, he hadn’t particularly organised his evening out, and decided to take his vehicle into the city.

“It wasn’t premeditated, and he didn’t think he had had much to drink during the evening, but clearly had more than he anticipated, taking him over the legal limit.

“He was on his way home when he was stopped, and tells me that as soon as he was aware of the blue lights he pulled over and co-operated with the roadside test and at the police station.”

Mr Shimmin added that Pidgeley used his car regularly, as he has a daughter living in the Bristol area who he visits.

As well as being banned for 42 months, Pidgeley was fined £900, with £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

First published at 11:33, Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk