Doyle to find out in the coming days

Down defender Liam Doyle is to learn his fate within the next two days about the knee injured that forced him off in his side’s recent Ulster SFC semi-final defeat to Armagh.

According to team spokesman Diarmuid Cahill, Doyle is to know within the next 48 hours whether or not he will be able to take any part in the Mourne men’s first round qualifier against Offaly at Tullamore on July 19.

"He was to have the injury assessed on Monday and the fear was, when he had come off at Clones, that the problem was the knee. We will not know the full extent of the injury for a day or two as the knee swelled up afterwards," said Cahill.

The centre-back was sorely missed in his side’s four-point defeat at the hands of the Orchard County on Sunday not only for his influential defending, but for the option of a left-footed free-taker which Down were in need of on a number of occasions in the match.

However, with or without Doyle, Cahill still believes Offaly will provide a stern test when Ross Carr’s side travel to Tullamore in just over three weeks time to try and book their place in the second round of the backdoor.

"It is not going to be easy to go to Tullamore and get a result," said Cahill. "No draw was going to be easy in the first round of the qualifiers. It didn’t matter who we were drawn against, it was always going to be difficult. It’s an awkward draw for us