BY CHRIS MCNULTY
KARL Lacey is rated as a serious doubt for Donegal’s Ulster semi-final clash against Down because of a knee injury.
Lacey had surgery on Thursday on a cartilage injury he picked up during Four Masters’ Donegal SFC clash with Ardara last Sunday evening.
The injury was kept under wraps, but the 2012 Footballer of the Year, just back from a long spell out with a hip injury, is now in a race against time to take his place in the June 23rd clash.
It was confirmed last evening that the game against James McCartan’s side will be played at Breffni Park in Cavan at 2pm.
Lacey, though, is now unlikely to feature given the short timespan between now and then.
“It was a minor procedure and he should be back in training by the end of the week, but at this stage he is doubtful,” Rory Gallagher, the Donegal assistant manager, confirmed last night.
“Karl is back with Ray Moran (his surgeon) this week and really we won’t know until he gets back jogging how he is.
“It’s nothing long term, but it’s an inconvenience.”
Lacey has played in 41 consecutive Championship games (a record) for Donegal since the Ulster final in 2004.
Neil Gallagher has also emerged as an injury worry after the All-Star midfielder was forced to withdraw at half-time from Glenswilly’s Donegal SFC clash with Bundoran on Saturday evening.
Gallagher will undergo a scan tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage to a knee.
Rory Gallagher said: “The scan is a precaution and we don’t think it’s anything too serious.
“It’s a wait and see job, but with knees it tends to take a week to ten days no matter what is wrong.”
Frank McGlynn also remains sidelined due to a hamstring complaint, but Anthony Thompson returned to action with his club, Naomh Conaill, yesterday.
Rumours that Adrian Hanlon has left the Donegal panel were not confirmed by Gallagher with the management understood to be anxious to speak with the Dungloe man.
However, it seems unlikely that Hanlon, who has struggled to get gametime in 2013, will be in the reckoning henceforth.
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Posted: 11:10 am June 10, 2013