RORY GALLAGHER WILL meet with Paul Durcan in mid-February to discuss a possible return to the Donegal panel for the 2016 Championship.
Durcan emigrated to Qatar with his wife, Edel, late last year and will not feature for Donegal in the Allianz League.
Durcan transferred to Ballyboden St Enda’s in Dublin last year and returned from Qatar to play in the Leinster SFC final against Portlaoise having helped them to win the Dublin SFC.
Durcan will be back again for Ballyboden’s All-Ireland semi-final against Clonmel Commercials – who are managed by the former Finn Harps manager Charlie McGeever – on February 13.
Durcan has not ruled out playing again for Donegal in the Championship and manager Gallagher is keen for the Donegal town native to be a part of his plans.
“We will have a conversation when he’s home in February and take it from there,” the Donegal manager said.
“There is a hope. Paul has left it fairly open.
“We had a night out at Christmas and he was very much a part of that. He’s still in contact with everybody.
“He has the carrot of an All-Ireland club semi-final and, hopefully, a final will keep him training – and the warm weather training won’t do any harm!”
As well as Durcan’s emigration, Gallagher has had to content with the next-in-line goalkeeper, Michael Boyle, sustaining a cruciate knee ligament injury.
The Termon man is on track to be fit for the Championship, but it has meant that Gallagher had had to dig into the reservoir.
“Paul and Michael shared the number 1 and 2 duties for the guts of ten years so this is unknown territory for us now,” he said.
Mark Anthony McGinley – third choice during 2015 – was set to make his debut, but a quad injury, picked up just minutes before he was to play against Down in the Dr McKenna Cup, curtailed his promotion.
Danny Rodgers played in two of the three McKenna Cup games, but McGinley could yet get the nod for Saturday’s Allianz League Division 1 opener against Down at Pairc Esler in Newry.
“We’d expect him to be fit and I wouldn’t rule him out for Saturday,” Gallagher said of the St Michael’s stopper.
Peter Boyle was Donegal’s Under-21 goalkeeper for the run to the All-Ireland final in 2010 and actually started the first League game of Jim McGuinness’s tenure, against Sligo in 2011.
He was recently recalled to the panel, too and played against Fermanagh.
Gallagher said: “While it’s unknown territory, it’s good to have that back up.”
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