Canavan return starts on bench

PETER CANAVAN returns to first-team duty next Sunday when he will sit on the Tyrone bench for their critical National League Division One relegation match against Cavan.

Canavan hasn't played for the county since the All-Ireland semifinal against Meath during which he was injured.

He played last week for his club Errigal Ciarain - unusually for the country's highest-rated forward - in a defensive position.

It is no surprise that after inflicting a first defeat of the season on Cork the team should receive a vote of confidence, but it is also likely that Canavan will make an appearance at some stage.

A win will ensure Division One status for next season for Danny Ball's side at the end of a difficult season and might even propel them into a play-off for the quarter-finals. Should Tyrone lose, they may be relegated or drawn into a play-off to decide who takes the drop.

Clare's recent run of good form is reflected in an unchanged team to play Leitrim in the National League in Carrick-on-Shannon this weekend.

The improvement has seen them pull clear of the Division Two relegation zone with two straight wins since the resumption of the league. Leitrim, on the other hand, have slipped from a position of challenging credibly for promotion to facing a battle for survival.

Clare will be captained by Frankie Griffin at full back making his 99th league appearance for the county. Included again is Aodan MacCarthaigh, the former Galway junior footballer who played for his county of origin against Cork in last season's All-Ireland junior football championship semi-final in Ennis, where he now plays for Eire Og.

In the previous match in Lurgan, corner forward Martin Daly had to be substituted because of flu and half backs MacCarthaigh and Barry Keating swapped wings.

Last weekend Clare recorded another good win, this time in the McGrath Cup against an admittedly experimental Cork side, a result that keeps up the momentum which has turned around their season.

Manager John O'Keeffe admitted before the League resumed that the campaign didn't look promising with matches to come against All-Ireland finalists Mayo and trips to Armagh and Leitrim.

Safety isn't yet assured as both Mayo and Leitrim can overtake Clare on Sunday but at least the matter is in their own hands.