JOSH MAILEY will be unavailable for the opening month of Finn Harps’ SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign.
The Letterkenny native is struggling with a groin injury sustained in the off-season and it is estimated that he will be out for another six weeks.
Harps are back in the Premier Division for the first time since 2008 and begin their campaign tomorrow fortnight, Friday March 4, when they face Derry City at Finn Park.
Mailey scored in the First Division play-off second leg win over UCD at Finn Park last year to help Harps into the promotion-relegation play-off against Limerick, which they won in dramatic style to confirm their elevation to the top flight.
Mailey had been linked with a move to Derry City, but is back in Ballybofey again, but the utility player is unlikely to see action until early April.
Ciaran Coll is struggling at the moment with a hamstring injury, but the St Johnston man is not a concern for the Derry game at this stage. Coll sustained the injury in the recent pre-season friendly against Ballina Town in Ballyshannon.
Although Michael Rafter played the final ten minutes in last Saturday’s 4-2 win over Athlone in Mullingar, the former Derry City striker won’t be in line for a competitive outing for ‘several weeks’ of the season.
Harps will be without Kevin McHugh, Gareth Harkin Harkin and Michael Funston for the Derry game with the trio all set to serve suspensions.
This Saturday, Harps face UCD in Dublin before taking on Drogheda United next weekend.
Of a so-far frustrating pre-season, Harps manager Ollie Horgan said: “We’re very disappointed that we haven’t got a game on grass yet. We can’t train on grass and any game that we were supposed to have on grass has been called off.”
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