Casey debating McKeever start

Armagh SFC semi-final
Pearse Óg v St Patrick’s, Cullyhanna
Friday, Morgan Athletic Grounds, 8pm

CULLYHANNA manager Stephen Casey has yet to decide whether or not Ciaran McKeever will start Friday’s Armagh championship semi-final against Pearse Óg.

The county team captain returned to the south Armagh parish on Tuesday having spent the summer helping Leitrim win the New York championship – and the management have yet to finalise a decision.

“It’s awkward when a player hasn’t been playing with a team all year,” said Casey, whose sons Eugene and Pearse will be amongst the starting 15. “I’m not sure what shape Ciaran is in, I think he’s in good enough shape, so we’ll see later in the week. It’s all about how he blends in.

“Crossmaglen mightn’t start with James Clarke but Crossmaglen are Crossmaglen and they have so many good footballers there anyway.”

St Patrick’s enter their sixth semi-final in their history, but they have yet to contest the showpiece. Casey knows that things must go right if that is to change this weekend.

“We came very close in 2010, our game with Cross went to a replay and extra-time and all that,” he said. “But people don’t realise that we have changed a lot since then, only six or seven players remain from that team.

“Pearse Óg are a team full of household names and they are raging hot favourites, we would need everything to click, but we know if it does we are a match for anyone.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday September 20. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here