Roscommon forced to play in Longford

The Roscommon footballers have been forced to concede home advantage for Sunday’s league fixture against Down owing to an unplayable pitch at Hyde Park and a Croke Park ruling the game could not be staged at Kiltoom.

Fri, 04 Mar, 2016 - 00:00

Eoghan Cormican

The Division 1 clash has now been fixed for Pearse Park, Longford, with Roscommon chairman Seamus Sweeney last night expressing his regret the game could not be played at a Roscommon venue.

“We found ourselves in the situation where our county ground, Hyde Park was unplayable and Croke Park and the CCCC refused to allow us to use our secondary county ground, Kiltoom,” said Sweeney. “CCCC would not be happy with Kiltoom as an alternative venue given the expected attendance and the restricted capacity at the ground, we were told.”

Sweeney said it was his intention to close Dr Hyde Park this June so to put down a new and adequate playing surface.

Cork manager Kieran Kingston, meanwhile, has made six changes to his team for Saturday’s league clash away to Dublin.

Colm Spillane (cruciate) and Aidan Walsh (nose) are both ruled out because of injuries. Killian Burke replaces Spillane at corner-back, while Brian Lawton is redeployed from the half-forward line to fill the gap left by Walsh.

Also included in the starting team are Cormac Murphy, Mark Ellis, Seamus Harnedy, Patrick Cronin and Stephen Moylan.

Shane O’Neill, corner-back last time out, is not named on the panel due to examinations, with William Leahy, Lorcán McLoughlin and William Egan dropping to the bench.

CORK (Allianz HL v Dublin):

A Nash; K Burke, C Joyce, S McDonnell; D Cahalane, M Ellis, C Murphy; D Kearney, B Lawton; B Cooper, S Harnedy, P Cronin; C Lehane, S Moylan, P Horgan.

KERRY (Allianz HL v Wexford):

M Stackpoole; S Weir, B Murphy, K Carmody; D Collins, T Casey, T Murnane; P Kelly, J Griffin; S Nolan, M O’Leary, C Harty; J Egan, M Boyle, J Goulding.

WEXFORD (Allianz HL v Kerry):

M Fanning; L Ryan, M O’Hanlon, E Moore; A Shore, P Foley, A Kenny; L Chin, E Conroy; H Kehoe, S Tompkins, A Nolan; C McDonald, P Doran, L Ó McGovern.

DERRY (Allianz FL v Tyrone):

E McNicholl; O Duffy, C McKaigue, K McKaigue; G McKinless, B Rogers, M Craig; N Holly, E Bradley; D Heavron, C McFaul, SL McGoldrick; R Bell, E McGuckin, J Kielt.

TYRONE (Allianz FL v Derry):

N Morgan, A McCrory, R McNamee, C McCarron, B Tierney, R Brennan, T McCann, C Cavanagh, M Donnelly, K McGeary, P Harte, R Donnelly, C McAliskey, S Cavanagh, R O’Neill.

WATERFORD (Allianz FL v Wexford):

S Enright; T Ó hUallacháin, M O’Gorman, J McGrath; B Looby, S Prendergast, R O Ceallaigh; T Prendergast, C Prunty; G Crotty, D Breathnach, P Hurney; S Corcoran, J Veale, P Whyte.