Down manager Pete McGrath has revealed a hamstring injury is the reason behind Mickey Linden's absence from the team to face Cavan in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday. Eyebrows were raised when the Down camp announced their line-up minus the presence of the talismanic Linden, who, at 37, still has the potential to worry the best defences.
The team is an inexperienced one, calling on many of the 1999 All-Ireland minor-winning side, and observers felt Linden's experience was vital. However, McGrath says in his current condition it would have been foolish to start with the veteran.
Filed by Shane Murray
