KARL LACEY and Neil Gallagher could be in line to face Monaghan in Saturday-week’s Ulster semi-final.
The Donegal duo missed Sunday’s win over Fermanagh in Ballybofey, but Tír Chonaill manager Rory Gallagher is hopeful that the pair will be given the green light when they do battle with Monaghan in Cavan.
Gallagher has not played a competitive game for club or county in three months. His last slice of action was in the Allianz League loss to Roscommon on March 13, when a back injury forced him off at half-time.
Gallagher has also been troubled by an achillies injury of late, but the midfielder is nearing a return, his manager confirmed.
“Neil is back in full training again and has been re-integrated back into it for the last couple of weeks,” Rory Gallagher said.
“He’s had a couple of hard sessions behind him. He just hasn’t any game time of late, but he’ll be in the frame.”
Four-time All-Star Lacey was named in the starting XV for Fermanagh, but the Donegal town man didn’t even tog out, owing to a calf strain, his place taken by Eamon McGee.
[adrotate group=”43″]“Karl will be fine,” Gallagher said.
“If the game on Sunday had been a last-chance saloon we would have played him, but we expect him to be ok for the semi-final.”
Gallagher also confirmed that Frank McGlynn and Martin McElhinney, who were withdrawn on Sunday because of hamstring and back injuries respectively, would also be ‘fine’ for Monaghan.
[adrotate group=”53″]The Donegal manager said: “We took them off as a precaution. If the game had been tighter, we’d have probably let them play on.”
There were rumours right up until to the warm-up on Sunday that Donegal captain Michael Murphy could have been out of action.
Murphy has been inhibited by an ankle injury in the last month and has played little football for his club, Glenswilly, since the end of the League.
[adrotate group=”74″]Murphy had the ankle strapped on Sunday and, while he appeared at times to be feeling the effects, Gallagher insisted that his star man has no fitness issue.
He said: “Michael is grand. He had trouble with his ankle a few weeks ago and it was very limited, the amount of work he had done.
“The ankle has been strapped up, but there is no problem with it. It’s just now about getting Michael more sharpness.”
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