DONEGAL midfielder Brian Murray is ruled out of Sunday week's Ulster senior football championship match with Down as a result of a serious ankle injury picked up in a club match on Sunday.

The Dublin based garda was playing for his new club, Kilcock when he went over on an ankle. The subsequent x-ray revealed a small break in the ankle. Murray is currently on crutches with the injury in plaster. He is expected to be out of action for six months at least.

Donegal team manager PJ McGowan already has a list of injured players, including Martin Shovlin (shoulder), Barry McGowan (hamstring), John Cunningham (groin) and Paddy Hegarty (calf muscle).

Meanwhile, PJ Carroll, the Sligo manager, has got to address a number of problems before naming his side to face Galway in the Connacht senior football championship on Sunday week.

Broken collar bones will keep Brendan Kilcoyne and Mick Galvin out for some time, and Declan McGoldrick has left the panel. The good news is that John Kenny is now free of soccer commitments and Paul Newton, a brother of Roscommon's John now living in Sligo, and Con O Meara are available for selection. Newton and O'Meara are both over 6 ft 4 in height.

There is good and bad news also for Dublin manager Micky Whelan. Jim Gavin has recovered from a groin injury and will be back in training next Tuesday in preparation for the June 9th clash with Westmeath.

Ian Robertson, however, has broken down with a calf muscle injury in a club match and is likely be put out for four weeks.