DOUBLE TROUBLE
Midfielder Parsons out for season O’Connor to miss start of qualifiers
MAYO midfielder Tom Parsons is set to miss the remainder of the Championship following a horror knee injury in yesterday’s Connacht SFC defeat to Galway.
The All-Star nominee had been one of his team’s standout performers and had kicked a crucial point early in the second half when he appeared to over-extend his knee in the 48th minute. After a lengthy wait, he was stretchered from the field to a standing ovation, with Mayo manager Stephen Rochford confirming afterwards that Parsons (right) had sustained a bad injury.
‘He has a knee dislocation but I am not sure of the extent,’ said Rochford.
The injury is a huge blow as Mayo head for the first round of the qualifiers, when they are also likely to be without 2016 footballer of the year Lee Keegan, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. And Diarmuid O’Connor is also set to miss that firstround clash after he was shown a straight red card by referee Conor Lane, when his elbow connected with the face of Paul Conroy in the 29th minute. It was the second time inside 12 months that Mayo had to play against Galway with 14 men, after Keith Higgins also saw red in last year’s clash. ‘I haven’t seen it,’ replied Rochford, when asked for his
view on the decision. ‘I thought Diarmuid had got advantage from the first tackle and was trying to ride and break the next tackle. But obviously Conor was closer to it. ‘Diarmuid is absolutely gutted in there. It is such a big game that losing a bit of discipline, if it is that, we would all be disappointed with that. ‘In such a tight margin of a game you can look for multiple reasons but they would only be excuses. We didn’t win and we now prepare for the month of June,’ said Rochford. Conroy played no further part in the contest after that incident due to concussion, but it was still a good day for Kevin Walsh, whose team will now face Sligo on June 3. However, Walsh admitted that his team’s performance left much room for improvement. ‘It looked pedestrian at times,’ admitted the Galway boss. ‘The shooting boots wouldn’t have been on as you’d like but overall it was a tough game for both sides. ‘It’s about the result but at the same time we can’t just leave it there, treat the two imposters the same, winning and losing, and get down to work again tomorrow night.’