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The absence of Bridge-Wilkinson in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat on Tuesday at Rochdale, plus the suspension of Thirlwell for the televised game at MK Dons tomorrow certainly means that Kavanagh will go straight into the United starting eleven. Bridge-Wilkinson himself, Luke Joyce and Grant Smith seemingly vying for the other midfield spot, unless Ward returns to a 4-5-1 formation.
Kavanagh began his footballing career with the famous Home Farm youth academy in the north of Dublin before joining Middlesbrough as a 17-year old in August 1991. Graham struggled to get going though on Teesside, and only made 47 league and cup appearances in his five years with the 'Boro, during which he spent a five game temporary spell at Darlington, before joining Stoke City on loan, eventually signing for them for £250,000 in October 1996.
Stoke was really where it took off for Kavanagh though and he played in 244 games, scoring 41 goals in the process, before former Middlesbrough boss Lennie Lawrence signed him again, this time for Cardiff City, for £1 million in June 2001. Over 150 appearances would follow, plus a further 28 goals for the Bluebirds, before financial troubles at the Welsh club meant that he was sold to Wigan Athletic for a fee of almost £400,000 in March 2005.
Kavanagh was promoted with the Latics and then played in all but three of Wigan's 38 Premiership games in 2005-06 as they finished tenth in their first ever top-flight campaign. The 35-year old moving on the following season after making 55 appearances for the Latics as he joined the Irish revolution at Sunderland, Graham, on August transfer deadline day 2006, signing a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light in a £500,000 deal.
The Dubliner was part of Roy Keane's matchday squad for the first four months of his spell with the Black Cats, but a knee injury in December meant that he was sidelined for the first five months of the campaign. Graham going on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in September 2007 to get some match fitness before returning to Sunderland at the end of October.
This time it was transfer deadline day in January that saw the midfielder on the move again, as he went back on loan to Hillsborough until the end of the season. Graham making a total of 24 appearances and scoring two goals in his two spells with the Owls. This campaign, with only 15 appearances and one goal behind him in his two years at the Stadium of Light, he has been unused at Sunderland so you would expect him to be chomping at the bit for some competitive football.
Internationally, Graham has 16 caps for the Republic of Ireland and has scored one goal, his debut coming back in 1998 as a substitute against the Czech Republic while the most likely final appearance of his international career came in August 2006 against the Netherlands. It isn't as high profile as that for the Dubliner now though as he comes into a Carlisle side bereft of confidence, but hopefully his experience and quality can help turn that around.
First Team Transfers 2008-09 : Click here