Sligo to appeal wrongful O’Hara dismissal

SLIGO GAA chiefs will bid to have Eamonn O’Hara exonerated following his dismissal in Saturday’s qualifier game against Westmeath.

Their case will be based on the fact that referee Michael Ryan, from Limerick, erred in giving O’Hara a second yellow card.

It was acknowledged at the time that it was a case of mistaken identity by a linesman and manager Tommy Breheny made that known after the game.

At the time that O’Hara was being disciplined, the Sligo player who was involved in the particular incident — Sean Davey — identified himself to the match officials. O’Hara explained that he was about 25 yards away from it, saying afterwards: “the linesman was a wee bit arrogant!’’

Davey had not been carded before that, so he would have stayed on the field. Accordingly, as Sligo will argue, they would have been in a better position to go on and win the game.

Instead, they lost O’Hara during the first period of extra time and eventually finished with 12 players.

One of the other players dismissed was Padraig Doohan and Sligo officials believe his sending-off was also unfair.

“If Eamonn O’Hara had been on the field at the finish, it’s doubtful if Westmeath would have been able to get their winning goal,’’ said a source close to the team.

Meanwhile Liam Hayes has delayed any decision on his future as Carlow manager until after his side’s Tommy Murphy Cup tie with Wicklow on Friday.

The Skryne man is going on holidays directly after the game and will meet with his selectors, JJ Lambert, Tom Foley and Pat Carter to discuss options upon his return.

Hayes took the job last year following a protracted recruitment process and had limited success in his first inter-county appointment.

He has made no secret of his lack of enthusiasm for the Tommy Murphy Cup, stating after the qualifier defeat to Meath that Carlow would take no part in it — a decision that was quickly over-ruled by the county board.

The team have not trained together since that defeat, however, with Hayes believing it is unfair on the clubs to deny them of their players for a competition he feels has no future in its current format.