Offaly v Wexford brought forward to avoid Champions League clash

The throw-in time for Offaly's Leinster SFC opener against Wexford has been brought forward to avoid a clash with the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona. Offaly GAA officials made the request to the Leinster Council and the match - which takes place at O'Connor Park on Saturday, May 28 - will now commence at 5pm. A Saturday evening fixture would usually have a start time of 7pm or 7.30 but, with the Champions League decider kicking off at Wembley at 7.45, it's likely that there would have been a significant impact on the attendance. The Offaly County Board felt it was fair on supporters to give them the opportunity to see the Offaly v Wexford match and the Champions League final on TV later that night. "We feel it is the most sensible conclusion to come to," Offaly GAA chairman Pat Teehan said. With Manchester United having a large following in Offaly (indeed, there is a Man Utd supporters club in Clara), the County Board's decision is entirely understandable in terms of trying to maximise the attendance at O'Connor Park. Wexford GAA chairman Ger Doyle said earlier this week that his county would have no problem with an earlier throw-in time as it would allow Wexford supporters to return home earlier. Switching the clash with Wexford to Croke the following day - to make it a double-header with the Offaly v Dublin Leinster SHC quarter-final - was also an option. However, Offaly opted to retain home advantage for the football match. Playing the two games together would have boosted the chances of both Offaly teams having good support in Croke Park, but it seems Offaly were reluctant to concede home venue for the football match, an advantage which is seen as critical in the Faithful County's hopes of victory. Although the Leinster Council have agreed to bring the Offaly v Wexford game forward, the Ulster SFC quarter-final between Down and Armagh will go ahead in a direct clash with the eagerly awaited Champions League decider. It's believed that no serious consideration was given by the Ulster Council to bringing the time forward. Meanwhile, the Offaly senior hurlers continued their preparations for their upcoming Leinster championship encounter with Dublin with a 2-15 to 2-13 win over Wexford in a challenge match at Oulart-the-Ballagh's new grounds last Sunday. A late Shane Dooley goal helped a depleted Offaly outfit to a two-point victory over the home side who were close to full strength. Although wing-forward Colin Egan scored an early goal for Offaly, wind-assisted Wexford led 2-8 to 1-5 at the break, with Eanna Martin and David Redmond both finding the net. Offaly had the breeze at their backs in the second half but the Slaneysiders still led going into the closing stages, when Dooley fired an unstoppable free to the Wexford net, and points from Derek Morkan and Egan wrapped up the victory. Work commitments are set to rule Offaly hurler Brendan Murphy out of the championship. The 30-year-old midfielder, who is training to become a doctor, missed the entire league campaign but the Faithful County had hoped to have him back for the championship. However, Murphy has said that work demands mean taking part in Offaly's campaign is not feasible. Meanwhile, Offaly's Leinster SHC opponents Dublin have been hit with another injury blow, with the news that full-back Tomás Brady has been ruled out until the middle of June with a knee injury. The defender injured his knee during a club training session last weekend and scan results have shown that the medial ligament damage he suffered will keep him sidelined for five weeks. That rules him out of Dublin's Leinster SHC quarter-final against Offaly in Croke Park on May 29. Dublin are already planning for the championship opener without first-choice centre-back Joey Boland, who suffered a shoulder injury in the league final win over Kilkenny, while team captain Stephen Hiney is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury.