Skehill and Cormican big losses for Cappataggle

Date Published: 22-Jan-2009

COUNTY goalkeeper James Skehill will be an enforced absentee for Cappataggle when the men in red and black travel the short distance to the Padraig Pearses ground in Woodmount, Co. Roscommon, to take on Meath and Leinster champions Kilmessan in the All-Ireland Intermediate hurling semi-final on Sunday (2.30pm).

Skehill, a regular between the posts for Galway over the past two years, dislocated a shoulder during his first game of 2009 – with Limerick IT – and will be unable to play any part as his club side strive to book a place in Croke Park for the decider.

As a result, both Kieran Finn and teenager Padraig McHugh are on standby to take Skehill’s jersey as Cappataggle attempt to build on a memorable year in which they won the Intermediate championship and league double, as well as beating Four Roads of Roscommon in the provincial decider.

“James is a real big game player and he does tend to take on extra responsibilities,” admitted team manager Gerry Healy, who has been at the helm for a remarkable transformation in the club’s fortunes over the past six months. “At the same time, we have known for a couple of weeks now that James will be missing and we’re prepared for it.”

Healy, who had yet to name his team at the time Tribune Sport went to press, will also have to plan without experienced forward Declan Cormican, who broke a thumb in the League final win over Abbeyknockmoy last month.

Amazingly, the completion of the double in that game also reversed a 15-point defeat to Abbey’ in the early stages of the Intermediate championship . . . and nobody saw them as potential champions at that stage in the 2008 campaign. Healy puts his side’s transformation in fortunes down to…