Mayo recall Heaney for Roscommon clash

VETERAN MIDFIELDER David Heaney returns to the Mayo team for Saturday evening’s Connacht football championship semi-final against Roscommon at McHale Park, taking the place of Irish International Rules player Tom Parsons.

Heaney returned to the Mayo squad after the National League and is one of four changes from the team that eased past New York last month. Kenneth O’Malley replaces the injured David Clarke in goal, while corner back Keith Higgins and corner forward Aidan Kilcoyne are both given starting places.

Higgins missed the New York game as he choose to play for the Mayo hurlers in the Christy Ring Cup and replaces Kevin McLoughlin, while Donal Vaughan loses out to Kilcoyne. Right corner back Liam O’Malley has been selected subject to passing a final fitness test on an ankle injury sustained in training last week.

Conor Mortimer has failed to regain his starting place after missing the New York game with a broken bone in his hand, which means the only unchanged line from the New York game is the half-forward line – where captain Trevor Mortimer is flanked by Pat Harte and Alan Dillon.

In the full forward line Kilcoyne will line out alongside two big men in Barry Moran and Aidan O’Shea, who hit 1-2 in his championship debut against New York last month – and starts on Saturday having only completed his Leaving Cert exams yesterday.

Wexford hurling manager Colm Bonnar has made just one change to his team for Sunday’s Leinster semi-final against Dublin at Nowlan Park. Willie Doran will start at wing forward in place of Andrew Shore, who picked up a leg injury in the county’s under-21 defeat to Dublin just last Wednesday.

Otherwise the team is unchanged from that which beat Offaly earlier this month, with Ritchie Kehoe, who had a man of the match performance the last day, continuing at number six.

Kerry’s quest to rebuild momentum after last Saturday’s heavy Munster football semi-final replay defeat to Cork looks set to include Mike McCarthy, the former All-Ireland winning full back who retired in 2006.

McCarthy has continued to play some outstanding club football with Kilcummin, at centre back, and has also being playing soccer with Castleisland in the Kerry District League. It appears manager Jack O’Connor has enticed him back to the Kerry set-up and, though now aged 30, his return will go some way towards improving Kerry’s defensive troubles, particularly with injury worries over Aidan O’Mahony who has damaged his shoulder.

MAYO (SF v Roscommon): K O’Malley; L O’Malley, G Cafferkey, K Higgins; P Gardiner, T Howley, A Moran; D Heaney, R McGarrity; P Harte, T Mortimer, A Dillon; A Kilcoyne, B Moran, A O’Shea.

WEXFORD (SH v Dublin) D Fitzhenry, M Travers, P Roche, D O’Connor; M Jacob, R Kehoe, C Kenny; D Lyng (capt), P Atkinson; W Doran, T Waters, R Jacob; D Redmond, S Banville, S Doyle.