Tyrone Ladies to tackle in-form Armagh in the League

High flying Armagh come to O’Neills Healy Park on Sunday keen to earn another full haul of league points as they lead the Lidl Ladies National League Division Two table.

Shane Mc Cormack’s side eased to a ten point victory against Monaghan last time out adding that to comprehensive wins over Cavan and Roscommon. They are level on points with Tipperary ahead though on score difference.

Tyrone come into the game on the back of a one point loss to Laois in a game that they looked on course to win.

They had dominated for long periods in the first half but in the end veteran Mo Nerney proved the difference for the Leinster side.

There were plenty of positives for Sean O’Kane. Niamh Hughes, Chloe McCaffrey and Grainne Rafferty were back in the fold while Maria Canavan has hit a rich vein of form.

The fortnight off will have allowed further time for goalkeeper Sinead McVey to recover from injury with Emma Mulgrew also continuing to make steady progress after surgery. Sasha Byrne is also expected to be available again.

There’s new faces on the Tyrone squad this term though admittedly it will take time for them to settle in. While survival is the key, a string of positive results will change the complexion of this campaign, and no better place to start than Omagh on Sunday.

There’s several new faces in with Armagh too, while the experienced Aimee Mackin has hit form again after a sluggish start to the league campaign.

Armagh have little or no injury concerns ahead of the trip to their Ulster neighbours, although both sides will be hopeful O’Connor cup and college commitments have not brought fresh injuries.

The Red Hands find themselves in midtable, one of five teams with three points on the board. The Orchard side, Tipp and Laois lead the way but as it stands so much could still change with points at a premium for manager Sean O’Kane.

Tyrone now embark on a tough run of games that include Cavan and Tipperary with Westmeath also in the mix.

Officials have called on Tyrone clubs to get behind the senior squad in the National League. Clubs have been asked to bring youth players to the game on Sunday to boost support for the home county.

This could be an excellent team bonding day for Tyrone under 14 sides as they prepare for the start of competition at the end of the month.