Connor, Deehan And Smith Back In Contention For Wexford Showdown
Thursday, 17 February 2011
BRIAN Connor, Thomas Deehan and Niall Smith will be back in contention for places on the Offaly team that will play Wexford in the second round of the Allianz Football League Division 3 in Tullamore on Sunday next.
The trio were unavailable for the first round win over Cavan (Connor was injured, Smith suspended and Deehan had only returned to the panel that week and was not considered) and their availability greatly strengthens Offaly's hand for a game that they really need to win.
Manager Tom Cribbin is also hopeful that Karol Slattery and Joe Quinn will be available to take their places in the defence, despite limping off during the Cavan game. Slattery's injury looked particularly serious but Cribbin pointed out that he received a bad gash on his leg and needed stitches. The Clane man stated that Slattery's injury is taking a bit of time to heel but he hopes that Slattery will line out.
The return of Connor, Deehan and Smith is a big boost. Connor will probably take his place at midfield, having successfully come through two games last Sunday - He played for Offaly U-21s as they beat Kildare and later lined out for his club, Walsh Island as they beat Ballycumber in the league.
Deehan's availability will be especially crucial as Offaly will be without Anton Sullivan in the attack. Sullivan, one of the brightest prospects in Offaly, dislocated his shoulder while playing for Rhode in the league against Raheen and will be out for up to twelve weeks.
Cribbin stated that Sullivan's loss will be particularly felt by the Offaly U-21 footballers. 'It is a big blow to the U-21s more so than the seniors. The break might do him good, though we would prefer if he got a break in different circumstances.
Niall Smith will also come into the equation for a place after being suspended when he was sent off in the O Byrne Cup Shield win over Longford in February.
Offaly played well in their opening 1-12 to 0-8 win over Cavan with Tubber man, Bernard Allen capturing most headlines after scoring 1-4 in a superb individual performance.
They can expect a stiffer test from Wexford who recorded an easy win over Waterford in the first round. Offaly and Wexford will also meet in the championship in Tullamore during the summer and this will add a bit of spice to Sunday's game.
Both sides have promotion ambitions and it is particularly important to win home games.
The Offaly team was not selected at the time of writing but it will be on the lines of the one that beat Cavan, though there may be a couple of changes.
On home turf, Offaly are hard to beat and they can record another morale boosting win.
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