Crossmaglen's McEntee wins appeal against red card

GAELIC GAMES NEWS :CROSSMAGLEN'S JOHN McEntee has won his appeal against the straight red card he received in last Sunday's drawn Ulster Club Football final against Ballinderry. The Ulster Council last night decided to downgrade the punishment to a yellow card, which means McEntee can play in Sunday's replay at Brewster Park.

McEntee was dismissed by referee Martin Sludden after being judged to have elbowed Ballinderry's Darren Conway, but after reviewing evidence presented by Crossmaglen last night, the Ulster Council decided the incident did not merit the red card, which would have seen McEntee banned for the replay, had the appeal failed.

However Crossmaglen will be without injured defender Paul McKeown, who sustained shoulder ligament damage in Sunday's game. Stephen Finnegan, who replaced McKeown late on the last day, is most likely to come in, while Martin Aherne remains a long-term absentee having sustained a fractured skull in the opening Ulster win over St Patrick's, Donagh.

Meanwhile, the Kerry County Board have ratified Jack O'Connor's backroom team of Ger O'Keeffe and Eamonn Fitzmaurice, as selectors, with Alan O'Sullivan, who worked with O'Connor at Kerins O'Rahilly's, the physical trainer.

Elsewhere, Alan Milton has been appointed GAA communications manager. Currently the GAA editor of the Irish Sun, Milton has previously worked as a GAA journalist with the Irish Sunand Star/Independent NewsGroup.

The GAA also announced Patrick Doherty will join the Games section of the GAA where he will work on the implementation of the Association's national fixture programme. Doherty is secretary of the National Féile Na nGael Committee and was PRO of Westmeath GAA for seven years prior to joining the Croke Park team in the communications department in March of this year.

• The manner in which Ger Loughnane was dismissed as Galway senior hurling manager has been strongly criticised by one of the county's leading GAA officials. Galway hurling board secretary John Fahey describes the move to oust the Clare man as a "witch hunt".

Fahey, in his report to the board's annual convention which takes place in New Inn next Wednesday, says: "While game results and expectations were not realised in the first two years, the witch hunt to have the manager removed from his position was always going to cause division, a situation I hope we will not put ourselves into in the future."

• Heavy costs associated with the upgrading of O'Connor Park in Tullamore have left Offaly GAA with a deficit of €268,000 in 2008.

Figures revealed at last Tuesday night's annual convention show a loss of just €38,000 when income was set against expenditure but depreciation and loan interest costs related to O'Connor Park left Offaly chiefs feeling the pinch.