Armagh goalkeeper Blaine Hughes has stepped away from the Orchard County’s panel ahead of the 2023 season.

The Carrickcruppen shot-stopper had been Armagh’s first choice goalkeeper in recent seasons and started in their opening three games of the Allianz League in 2022.

However, the 26-year-old was dropped for their fourth-round clash against Mayo as Ethan Rafferty came in between the posts for Kieran McGeeney’s side.

Since then, Rafferty has remained the first choice for Armagh, earning himself an All-Star nomination, and, speaking at the recent Dr McKenna Cup launch, the team’s assistant manager Ciaran McKeever confirmed Hughes’ departure from the squad.

“Blaine has, unfortunately, walked away to concentrate on his business,” McKeever is quoted saying by BelfastLive.co.uk. “We wish him all the best with it. Ideally, we’d love to still have him about, but different players have different priorities.

“At the moment, Blaine wants to focus on his business and there’s nothing we can do about it. We tried to keep him on board, but it was his decision.

“We have Shea Magill in there with Ethan (Rafferty) at the minute. Shea has made steady progress through the underage squad. We’ve also got Patrick McAteer (Mullaghbawn) with the U20 squad so those guys are on board and are working with Ciaran McKinney (goalkeeping coach) and we hope they’ll be able to step in when they are needed.”

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