The Ulster Council are confident this Sunday's club football semi-final between Errigal Ciarán and Ballinderry will go ahead despite the Damien McDermott hearing on Saturday. The player was shown two yellow cards yet was not sent off in the Tyrone champions' one-point victory over Enniskillen Gales last Sunday.

Enniskillen made an official objection to the alleged error by Antrim referee Gregory Walsh in the 34th minute of their quarter-final.

There is a precedent here as Cork escaped censure when referee Gerry Kinneavy failed to send off Kieran Murphy in the 2000 All-Ireland minor semi-final despite showing him two yellow cards.

The option of a replay also looks highly unlikely with the referee's report set to have a significant impact on the hearings outcome.

"We are still awaiting a response from Errigal Ciarán but I don't envisage them offering a replay," said Ulster secretary Danny Murphy. "The issue is whether a player was shown two yellow cards. We will not be discussing the referee's report in public but it has gone out to the clubs. At present, the semi-final will go ahead as planned."

Enniskillen chairman Frankie Rooney made reference to the influence of Peter Canavan, who kicked 0-4 when introduced as a second-half substitute, claiming if Gaels had a numerical advantage the defensive cover could have negated the influence of the 2003 All-Ireland winning captain."Peter Canavan came in and kicked four points. If we had the extra defender we could have put a man in front of him to cut off the supply but we weren't afforded that luxury."

Meanwhile, the Cavan County Board are confident of securing the transfer of Fermanagh footballer Rory Gallagher, although the player intends to continue playing with Dublin club St Brigid's.

Gallagher becomes eligible for selection under the new Donal Keoghan management team as he now lives and works in Cavan. A signature from Gallagher and the county secretary in both Fermanagh and Cavan must be submitted to the GAA to make the transfer official.

Plans for a new sports stadium at the former Maze prison site outside Belfast have been redrawn after talks with the three sports bodies - soccer, rugby and the GAA. The new arena will see a 35,000 seater venue for soccer and rugby, but 5,000 seats will be removable to bring the capacity up to 42,000 for GAA games.

Demolition of the Maze site is expected to be completed in November 2007.