Donegal goalkeeper Michael Boyle will be hoping for a long-awaited championship start on Sunday when the Tir Chonaill men face Fermanagh in the Ulster SFC quarter-finals.

The Termon shot-stopper is in contention to fill the boots of All Star 'keeper Paul Durcan, who is currently based in Qatar, and make his first start in the championship since the county's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Cork back in 2009.

Boyle had been Durcan's deputy up until the 2014 season before deciding to spend last summer in Boston and would likely have been the first choice to replace the Ballyboden St Enda's number one before injury saw him having to undergo a cruciate operation last October.

"Championship is what it's all about and that's what you're judged on," Boyle told the Irish Examiner. "I have played a good few league games through the seasons but it's all about championship.

"When Paul decided to move away, I would have been thinking I'd come back and might have a good run through the league campaign. But, unfortunately, the injury came at a bad time. But that's football and injuries come part and parcel with the game as well."

He added: "Paul won his two All Stars over the last number of years and he's been vital to Donegal's success but we just have to move on and people need to give the new 'keeper a chance to perform and I think they will."

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