Fight for survival for Tyrone on Tuam trip

TYRONE will have to conjure up something rather special if they’re to emerge victorious in Sunday’s utterly crucial Division One encounter against Galway in Tuam.

For one thing, there’s the contrasting fortunes of the two teams to date: Tyrone need points on the board – and fast – following last weekend’s head-spinning defeat to a David Clifford-inspired Kerry.

Malachy O’Rourke’s troops sit second-from-bottom, mired in the danger zone, while Galway are the only team in the Division yet to lose a single game following their victory over fellow pacesetters Donegal on Sunday.

Then there’s the rather disconcerting pattern of defeats against the Tribesmen in recent years. Tyrone have lost their four most recent clashes against Galway, the most recent of which was last February’s one-point defeat at Healy Park. You have to go back to 2019 for the last time Tyrone edged the argument against the Connacht heavyweights.

We’re not quite in do-or-die territory but six points is the magic number and Tyrone will likely need to win two of their final three matches to avoid relegation to the second-tier.

Should they fail to accrue the requisite points, it won’t be an unadulterated disaster – Armagh won last year’s All-Ireland from Division Two, after all – but it would be disappointing given the county’s designs on re-establishing themselves as bona fide contenders for national honours later in the year.

Tyrone have now lost three league encounters on the trot – another trend that needs breaking – and last Sunday’s defeat to Kerry was the sorest of the bunch.

They were virtually in cruise control heading into the final straight on a historic day for the Pomeroy club, hosting their first Tyrone senior match in 23 years, but David Clifford ruthlessly put away two late goals to wrestle victory away from the Red Hands.

There were positives in defeat and the Errigal contingent are back in harness, but Tyrone now face a mountain to climb and on the evidence of recent weeks and years won’t get it easy down in Tuam, a difficult place to go at the best of times.

Galway forward Shane Walsh is shooting the lights out, making hay with the new two-pointers, but while he’s their marquee name, they’re a stellar well-rounded outfit that reached last year’s All-Ireland final, even with Walsh somewhat out-of-sorts throughout the campaign.

A big physical team, they look like men on a mission (two All-Ireland defeats in three years, well there’s only one way to set the record straight) though one wonders whether they’ll step off the gas somewhat, even subconsciously, now they’ve already secured their Division One status for another year. They do have bigger fish to fry, ultimately.

It’s a dangerous assumption to make, anyway, but while they’re pre-match favourites, it isn’t beyond Tyrone to spring an upset. Hope springs eternal, and surely the wheel is going to turn at some stage!