Queen's duo James McCartan and Ciaron O'Hanlon should have their 12-week bans overturned tonight.

Manager McCartan and forward O'Hanlon were both slapped with the bans by the Central Hearings Committee on Saturday when they failed to attend a hearing after being initially suspended by the Higher Education Authority.

The pair, along with Marty Clarke and Gregory McCabe, were all suspended in the wake of Queen's Sigerson Cup victory over Maynooth University last week, when the question of the eligibility of their Stranmillis University College contingent once more raised its head.

The club chairman and secretary were also banned and it was proposed that Queen's should be thrown out of the competition.

Those three punishments were all overturned by the CHC at the weekend, while McCabe was also exonerated. But Clarke, McCartan and O'Hanlon didn't attend the hearing.

Clarke's case was adjourned as his medical reason for non-attendance was accepted but McCartan and O'Hanlon - who were on duty with the Down minors and Armagh seniors respectively - were hit with new 12-week bans for failing "to provide a reasonable explanation for their non-attendance".

They will take their cases to the Central Appeals Committee tonight and are almost certain to be cleared.

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