Football

Donegal postpone county final over Covid case

A positive covid-19 test among the Kilcar squad has led to the postponement of their county senior football championship final against Naomh Conaill.
A positive covid-19 test among the Kilcar squad has led to the postponement of their county senior football championship final against Naomh Conaill. A positive covid-19 test among the Kilcar squad has led to the postponement of their county senior football championship final against Naomh Conaill.

DONEGAL’S preparations for their knockout Ulster SFC tie with Tyrone have been thrown into further disarray with the postponement of the county’s senior football championship final.

The meeting of Kilcar and Naomh Conaill was yesterday put back until Wednesday, October 7 following a positive covid-19 test within the Kilcar squad.

The clubs contribute eight players between them to Declan Bonner’s panel, who are currently out of commission themselves after at least one member of their panel also tested positive.

All eight players had to go into self-isolation this week as a result of their involvement with the county panel, and their test results were not due until Sunday morning, the original date of the final.

Donegal county board had initially quashed the idea of postponing the game over a single positive test, but amid uproar from Kilcar and an admission from Naomh Conaill manager Martin Regan that going ahead with the game was “unfair” on their opponents, the county’s CCC yesterday reversed that decision and put the game back a further 10 days.

It potentially creates a serious club v county issue for the eight players involved, given the close proximity of the new county final date to the resumption of inter-county football just over a week later.