Fit-again Clifford on track to face Mayo in Tralee

DAVID CLIFFORD will return to the Kerry team inside the next three weeks. High-flying Kerry head to Tuam this weekend bidding to win their fourth game on the bounce in the Allianz League, and the imminent return of Clifford (right) is a reminder that the Kingdom are set to get stronger. The young footballer of the year has missed the start of the season due to a shoulder injury but Kerry manager Peter Keane is confident he will see game-time before the end of next month. ‘I reckon David Clifford should be back within the next three weeks. He is in good nick, he is doing a bit of running and he is not far away,’ said Keane. Clifford is now on course to make his first appearance of the season in Kerry’s penultimate League match against Mayo in Tralee on March 16. Adding to Keane’s attacking options, former footballer of the year James O’Donoghue has also returned and could be set to make an appearance against Mayo, while Kevin McCarthy has re-joined the panel. Three defenders who have not featured this season — Shane Enright, Jason Foley and Gavin Crowley — are all in contention for Sunday’s game. Meanwhile, Keane has expressed concern about the impact a fixture pileup could have on his star centre-forward Sean O’Shea, who scored two goals on Sunday to book UCC a Sigerson Cup final date with St Mary’s. Should O’Shea line out against Galway, it will mean a third game inside a week for the Kenmare star. ‘I have alluded to the fact before that we will have four League games and three Sigerson Cup games in a short space of time and that increases the expectations on the likes of Seanie O’Shea,’ Keane said.

DAMIEN Comer will not feature in Galway’s League campaign as he faces ankle surgery which will see him sidelined for three months and may rule him out of Galway’s Championship opener against London on May 5.