THE buzz and pressure of a must-win game will favour a Tyrone team with a proven track record in knock-out football.
That’s what Conor Meyler believes as the Red Hands prepare themselves for Sunday’s win or bust clash with Donegal.
With backs to the wall and needing a result at Castlebar last weekend to preserve their NFL Division One status, Mickey Harte’s men delivered, and now they must go again at Ballybofey to save their season.
But Tyrone will draw comfort from their record in the All-Ireland Qualifier series, rising to the challenge on many occasions when defeat was not an option.
“We feel like it suits us well because we have always performed well in knock-out when our necks are on the line,” said Meyler.
“We have produced the goods in the past when we had to get a win.
“You’ve seen that with our results in the back-door over the last couple of years. When it’s winner takes it, we seem to step it up.”
The League meeting between the sides less than two weeks ago saw Donegal comfortably take the points they needed to secure another season in the top tier.
Tyrone were off the pace on that occasion, and in the meantime have been working hard on the points of detail that will help them close the gap.
“We probably weren’t surprised because of the quality that they have. We were badly caught on the hop. We had to hold our hands up and accept it wasn’t good enough.
“Thankfully we still had another opportunity against Mayo, we were lucky enough in that regard.
“It also wasn’t the Championship game. We are going to get the chance to rectify that. Obviously next weekend is the big one and that’s the one you want to be firing in.”
Both counties have taken a contrasting approach to preparing for Sunday’s Ulster Championship opener.
While Harte had no choice but to throw everything at a relegation battle against Mayo last weekend, Declan Bonner had the luxury of being able to rest several of his key players on Donegal’s trip to Tralee.
The respective values of freshness and momentum will be measured and evaluated through the outcome of a fascinating contest at Pairc MacCumhaill.
“We will find out on Sunday. That’s football, you take the highs and the lows. We are aware that it’s a different challenge, a bigger challenge than Mayo but here’s hoping we do the business.”
Meyler believes Tyrone’s crucial NFL battle with Mayo, which they won by a point to send the Connacht men crashing out of the top tier for the first time in 23 years, will have sharpened the players’ competitive edge.
“It’s good preparation. If we had a game that meant nothing it would have been hard to get up for it but we are set up now well.
“Our sole focus was on Mayo and in staying in Division One. That’s where we believe that Tyrone should be, nowhere else. So we dug deep and we managed to hold onto it.
“It was great to get a game like that too which was nip and tuck. I was always confident that we were going to get away with a victory but nothing sets you up better than that sort of tough, rugged game where you have to fight and scrap for every ball. That will hopefully stand to us.”
Fans of both sides will watch from home as a blockbuster derby tie unfolds in an empty stadium.
Eerie and unnatural it may be, but given the extraordinary circumstances that prevail, players and supporters are just grateful for the opportunity to immerse themselves in gaelic games.
“It’s never going to be quite the same but we are getting used to it each week. There was limited crowds on the club scene and then none at all now with the county teams. But overall you are just glad to be playing football to be honest.
“Whatever sacrifices you have to make whether with no crowd, driving down in separate cars instead of the coach, as long as you are getting playing football that’s the main thing.”
