MAYO ARE CELEBRATING after tonight’s All-Ireland quarter-final win over Donegal but victory came at a price with a few injury headaches.
Defender Tom Cunniffe and goalkeeper David Clarke are the main worries as they came off with injuries, and while Barry Moran was also an enforced withdrawal, the news is more positive about his fitness.
Cunniffe was forced off just before the break with Chris Barrett coming on to replace him while Clarke didn’t emerge for the second-half action with Rob Hennelly in goal for the second-half.
In the closing stages Barry Moran was also taken off with Andy Moran coming in as his replacement.
“Davy Clarke picked up an injury when he was saving the goal shot in the first-half and he has an adductor injury we’re told,” revealed Mayo joint manager Noel Connelly after the game.
“We don’t know how serious it is yet but that was the reason for the change at half-time. Tom tweaked his hamstring going for a ball to his feet.
“He stumbled out over and just pinched his hamstring. Again I don’t know how serious that is, we’ll have to look at that over the next few days and see how it is.
“Barry again, he hurt his knee, he came off as a blood sub and was prepared to come back on but at that stage there was really no point. We hope that he’ll be fine.”
Unless there is a successful appeal, Mayo will have to plan without the suspended Kevin Keane for the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin after he was shown a red card.
“(It was) very disappointing,” admitted Connelly. “I’ll have to see it again. Kevin says, I suppose Michael Murphy had him by the neck and jersey. It’s a natural reaction to push off.
Whether the fist was closed or the hand, I don’t know what it was. Being very truthful I haven’t seen it.
“But he’s very disappointed, we’ll have to look at it and see whether or not it was a correct decision.
“Whether we’ll appeal it, we don’t know, we’ll have to have a look at it.”
