THE DOWNINGS manager, Andy Connor, has strongly hit out at the insistence that their game against Letterkenny Gaels goes ahead this Saturday evening.
Following Donegal’s draw with Monaghan in the Ulster semi-final a fortnight ago, the Competitions Controls Committee (CCC) altered the All-County League fixtures.
Downings were originally pencilled in to face Naomh Colmcille this weekend in Division 3 and had agreed with the Newtown outfit to play that game on Friday night.
However, the changing of the fixtures plan handed them an away game at Letterkenny Gaels.
[adrotate group=”37″]Downings player Shaun McBride is getting married in Cavan on Saturday and team-mates Patrick McGroddy, David Hay, Matthew Coyle, Shea Coyle, Finian McClafferty, Oisin Boyce, Seamus Gallagher, Gary McClafferty and Aaron McClafferty are all traveling.
The Gaels have declined to play the game on Friday, citing the fact that four of their players are working in Dublin, while alternative dates on July 17 and August 7 did not suit Gaels.
The CCC state that when two clubs cannot agree on a date that the original time stands.
The upshot of it all is that Downings will be down ten players from last week’s side for a fixture that they now appear unlikely to fulfill.
[adrotate group=”76″]“We have offered three dates that do not suit them and with so many players missing we simply can’t fulfill the fixture,” Connor told Donegal Sport Hub.
“We feel that it’s totally unacceptable for us to be expected to do so.
“We had an agreement with Naomh Colmcille to change the game and facilitate us, but we can’t get an agreement now and the County Board insist that the game has to go on.
[adrotate group=”77″]“If we were only missing two or three, fair enough, but we’re without ten players here.”
Downings are currently joint second in Division 3 with Buncrana while Letterkenny Gaels are in a battle to avoid relegation, meaning it’s a crunch fixture at both ends of the table.
Connor said: “These two points could have a real long-term effect on the Division 3 table. It’s not on that promotion or relegation could be decided this way.”
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