All-Ireland qualifier: Fourth round Tyrone v Sligo: AT last Tyrone get a run at Croke Park. It will be unusual for them to arrive and face a Sligo team with a good bit more experience of the headquarters venue. Last year's win over Kildare was one of the highlights of Sligo's football history and of the inaugural qualifier series in general.

In the light of that it is understandably forgotten that Dublin trimmed them a fortnight later at the same venue, but the overall experience will have made them even more competitive.

It's hard to know how much store to set by the Connacht final comeback against Galway, as the All-Ireland champions had essentially turned off the engine in the final quarter to freewheel to the finish. But certain things have to be said about Sligo.

One is that they have a good centrefield. Paul Durcan works hard and has the football to complement it, whereas Eamonn O'Hara's all-action movement around the middle is generally the platform of the team's better attacking phases.

Tyrone do not have a good centrefield. The experiment with Jarlath Quinn has been dispensed with and Cormac McAnallen is brought back after his sabbatical on the 40. This may be specifically to counter O'Hara, but whatever the motivation, McAnallen's wit and athleticism will improve the sector.

The second thing about Sligo is that when they get on top they are capable of getting scores and Tyrone's defence is the least experienced part of the team with an ongoing vulnerability at centre back.

Despite such unpromising indicators, Tyrone are firmly favoured to win this match. This is all to do with the immense quality of their forwards. In the closing stages of the Derry match, they resembled a basketball team - shooting scores off nearly every possession within shooting distance of the Derry goal.

The form of Peter Canavan was spellbinding. For a player presumed to have lost forever the ability to turn matches on his own, Canavan's season has been a redemption. Moved in closer to the goal, he has been unstoppable.

Realistically this should be a win for Tyrone even if the roll call of unsettled goalkeeper, inexperienced defence, struggling centrefield and under-strength attack doesn't sound that imposing. But they will play with pace, exuberance and confidence. And that, combined with the scoring potential of Peter Canavan and Stephen O'Neill, will keep their train firmly on the tracks.