Canavan may swing match

After a number of years' regular competition, Down and Tyrone meet again in tomorrow's Bank of Ireland Ulster football semi-final at Casement Park. In the five meetings of the last five years, each county has two wins and one draw. So this could decide the balance of their meetings as well as deciding which team has a chance of clinching a third Ulster title in the 1990s - which would put them top of the provincial roll of honour for the decade.

There's no doubting Tyrone's favouritism. Since earlier this year there has been a more purposeful atmosphere in the county and signs that, at last, the traumatic aftermath of the back-to-back Ulster wins in 1995-96 has abated.

Peter Canavan is playing well, near his best, for the first time in three years and, as in the early stages of that championship, getting good support from Adrian Cush, with Matt McGleenan providing the target presence formerly supplied by Ciaran McBride. Down's problems remain that there are still no replacements emerging to take the place of the All-Ireland-winning talent which has drained away over the last five years. The attack is still dependent on Micky Linden and the news that captain James McCartan is out with a chronic back injury is bad. His place is likely to go to Gregory Deegan but veteran Ross Carr is also likely to get a look in at some stage. It was a five-point salvo from Carr which beat Tyrone last year but that was a far weaker Tyrone, missing Canavan and still riven with the tensions which had surrounded the breaking of his jaw.

Some good news for Down lies in the renewed availability of Gregory McCartan who has recovered extraordinarily quickly from a cruciate injury sustained last November but, according to manager Peter McGrath, the player is unlikely to play a significant role tomorrow.

"Gregory is back in training and it's encouraging to see him in that position. He's had keyhole surgery on the cruciate - the first time the procedure was used here in the North. Maybe we'd consider using him for 15 minutes or so but not really any longer."

Midfield will be interesting with Tyrone's experimental pairing of Cormac McAnallen and Gerard Cavlan given another run. Both are footballers who look more suited to the half-forward line. McAnallen will be playing against his Queen's University team-mate Alan Molloy, who carries Down's hopes in his more customary position after a good display at full back in the first round.

Overall, though, Tyrone are more settled and likely to win.