Tyrone enter 'uncharted' waters

Tyrone's Colm Cavanagh

TYRONE midfielder Colm Cavanagh admits that his side are entering uncharted waters when they make the trip to Hyde Park this Saturday afternoon in Roscommon.

The last time the Red Hands made the trip was way back in February 2003, when new Tyrone boss Mickey Harte saw his side fall to a 0-11 to 0-10 defeat at the hands of their hosts.

Away days in the qualifiers though are nothing new to the Tyrone senior squad, who have used that route to maximum advantage in both 2005 and 2008, and the Moy man is hoping that experience will stand to them this weekend.

“I was trying to think back and I don’t think I have played there before so it will be a new experience.  But whenever you go into these places as the supposed fancied side it can be tricky. You’re not really used to the pitch or the ground because you don’t play the opposition that often, so it can give the home team a bit of an advantage.

“It’s a bit of a trip into the unknown for us and as we saw with Armagh and Derry, it can lead to your downfall if you don’t perform. So it could be a daunting occasion for us if we aren’t on our game.”

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday July 12. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here