Tyrone face crunch clash in Castlebar

MAYBE Meath will do everyone a favour and it won’t matter, but it looks like Tyrone will need to overcome Mayo in Castlebar this Sunday if they’re to maintain their Division One status for a fifth year running.

In all likelihood, relegation threatened Monaghan will do the business over an already-doomed Royals in the final round of fixtures, and that means that the Red Hands are in a perilous position after falling short against Donegal at the weekend.

Tyrone’s first competitive outing in seven months was a largely forgettable one. They fell to a four-point defeat to Donegal in Ballybofey and there weren’t many positives to take from the game.

Returning AFL star Conor McKenna showed he may re-adjust to the game quicker than anticipated with an eye-catching debut performance – but on the flip side their defence seemed porous in the absence of recent retiree Colm Cavanagh, the attack lacked cutting edge and Rory Brennan faces the possibility of suspension after touching match official Jerome Henry.

Yet all isn’t lost as Tyrone seem to come out fighting when their backs are against the wall: remember they were hammered by Galway back in February before claiming victory over Dublin at a stormy Healy Park literally six days later.

FULL PREVIEW IN THIS WEEK’S ULSTER HERALD