FERMANAGH’S brightest young prospect Rory Gallagher is expected to face an operation early in the New Year before beginning a race to be fit in time for the Ulster Championship.
The 19-year-old’s long battle with injury looks to have finally caught up with him and an appointment with Dublin surgeon Dr Pat O’Neill next week is likely to confirm he is to go under the knife.
Gallagher admitted last night that although he returned to county training before Christmas to test out the groin problem, it has not responded as well as he had hoped.
“I’m feeling very stiff and sore around the pelvis area and I think I’m going to need the operation after all,” he said.
“I’d be stiff anyway purely because I haven’t trained in so long but I think it’s more serious than that.”
The Erne Gaels star revealed he is certain to miss the Ulster U21 Championship, which starts in late February, but is aiming to be back for the Ulster Senior Championship.
“I’ll be okay for the senior championship providing everything goes according to plan.
“The recovery period from these operations is usually about 2 and a half to 3 months so if I have it soon, I should be fit enough for May.”
Gallagher injured himself in Fermanagh’s impressive Dr McKenna Cup final victory over Tyrone, missing the
epic championship duel with eventual winners Cavan.
JACKIE McNamara yesterday warned Celtic can kiss goodbye to their title hopes if they allow Rangers to maintain their stranglehold on the Old Firm fixture.
The stylish Parkhead midfielder has yet to taste a league victory over their rivals across the city since moving to Glasgow in October 1995.
Indeed, Celtic have to go back to April of that year for their last triumph against the champions, a run that now extends to 10 matches after half of their four annual encounters in the league this term.
play.
Their chances of winning this latest encounter dramatically improved yesterday after a club statement
confirmed Marc Rieper will be fit to play.
The Dane missed Saturday’s defeat at St Johnstone with a groin injury but trained yesterday and is expected to
start the game.
NEWCASTLE skipper Rob Lee is refusing to panic after a run he accepts is the club’s worst since he arrived on Tyneside five years ago.
The England midfielder returned after injury to face Roy Evans’ inform Liverpool on Sunday and felt his team deserved better than a 2- 1 defeat – their fifth in seven games.
Lee forced a magnificent second half save from David James but he believes an incident just before half-time summed up the Magpies’ current plight.
The 31-year-old United captain explained: “I smashed a shot goalwards and it was certainly on target when Oyvind Leonhardsen threw out his arm and the ball struck it.
“We immediately appealed for a penalty, he was well inside the box, but Liverpool broke quickly and within a few seconds Steve McManaman was putting the ball in our net for the second time.”
KEVIN Davies kicked Chelsea in the title teeth to land a potential knockout blow on West London’s championship challenge.
Ruud Gullit’s men had arrived at The Dell looking to take full toll of Manchester United’s Highfield Road upset and close the gap to four points.
After two wins over the Saints already this term, Gullit must have expected his men would complete a hat-trick of triumphs.
But 20-year-old Davies, Graeme Souness’ £750,000 parting gift from Chesterfield, had scored in both of those defeats to show he is a real handful.
And last night he did it once again to perhaps finish off the Blues’ realistic title hopes as Saints earned the reward for non-stop effort and determination.
When Carlton Palmer broke clear on the right to feed low into the middle, Davies looked second favourite behind Frank Sinclair.
Yet as the defender fatally hesitated, Davies swooped, sticking out his right foot to divert into the net for his 11th goal of the season.
