BRIAN MURRAY, the Donegal midfielder, never imagined that going to hospital could turn out to be such a pleasant experience.

The Kilmainham based garda was quite ecstatic in fact after been told at St James's Hospital in Dublin yesterday afternoon that there is no breakage involved in the ankle injury that has had him on crutches for a week and threatened to ruin his chances of playing in the football championship this summer. The plaster was removed from the injury, now diagnosed as either a ruptured or torn ligament. "I was really glad to hear this news. I was facing a long lay off, six weeks at least, with the cast on," he said yesterday.

"Because of the swelling it won't be known until next week the exact nature of the injury, but the main thing is that there is no fracture."

He added: "If we beat Down on Sunday I would be confident of being fit for the match against Monaghan on the June 23rd.

Murray went over on the ankle while playing with his new club, Kilcock, last week. "I should be back jogging by next week preparing, I hope, for the Monaghan game," he said.

Murray considers Sunday's game, as one between two teams very injured in terms of pride. "We hurt badly after that League final defeat by Derry, and Down are humiliate by having been relegated to Division Three. They still, of course remember that we were the team to knock them off their All Ireland perch, so to speak, at the same stage last year.

"I expect it to be tough and very close. Hopefully we will come out the winners, but it is a very difficult one to call. Personally, I would love to be out there in midfield. I feel an awful lot is going to be decided in the sector."