O'Hara a non-starter for Sligo

Sligo's chances of avenging last year's Tommy Murphy Cup final loss to Clare have been hampered by a scan on midfielder Eamonn O'Hara's knee injury.

The Yeats men have been paired against Clare in the All-Ireland SFC third round qualifiers on July 17, but O'Hara's knock, which saw him stretchered off in Sunday's one-point win over Kildare, will definitely rule him out of that tie.

A scan yesterday showed up medial ligament damage and some scarring on the 2002 All-star's knee.

Sligo boss Dom Corrigan is biding his time over Brendan Egan (hamstring) and Brian Curran (back), while under-21 starlet Kenneth Sweeney, who started at corner forward against the Lilywhites, is a definite non-starter for the Clare tussle.

Meanwhile, Cavan midfielder Pierce McKenna will make himself available for the Breffni men's third round qualifier against Meath - despite the presence of his wedding on the same weekend.

McKenna's 'big day' is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 with Cavan's Clones tie with the Royals due for a 1.45pm throw-in the following day.

Mayo manager John Maughan announces his team for Sunday's Connacht SFC final tomorrow night, and corner-back Keith Higgins is a certain non-starter.

Dual star Higgins missed the Mayo hurlers' 19-point Christy Ring Cup loss to Kerry last weekend with an elbow injury, sustained in a club game last week.

Higgins, a Sligo IT student, is staring at a four-week period on the sidelines.

Wing-back Peadar Gardiner (knee) is also a doubt for Maughan's men, who are bidding for back-to-back provincial titles.