Tyrone skipper McHugh set for final-day showdown against the Lilywhites

By Niall Gartland

TYRONE ladies’ survival hopes hinge on the final round of fixtures this Saturday and a victory on the road against Kildare could, circumstances permitting, be enough to salvage their Division One status for 2026.

Two teams will face the drop when all is said and done, though nothing is set in stone at this stage in a three-way battle at the bottom of the table between themselves, Kildare and Mayo.

Mayo would be doing extremely well indeed to nick a result against a formidable Waterford side, so it could all come down to Tyrone’s match against the Lilywhites at Newbridge.

Spirits will be high in the Tyrone camp following a really commendable showing last Saturday in Dungannon against a Dublin team stacked with multiple All-Ireland winners.

In their previous outing the Red Hands were left reeling by a heavy beating at the hands of Waterford, but they dusted themselves down and came close to getting something against the Dubs, losing by only a single point.

Speaking after the game, captain Aoibhinn McHugh says they were determined to restore pride following their bruising defeat to Waterford a few weeks back.

“The Waterford result was really disappointing so our main priority was producing a performance against Dublin and putting it up to them. There wasn’t much in it, it ended up a bit disappointing that we didn’t get a draw out of the game but we’re happy with how we played and I thought it was a good game.”

Tyrone have enjoyed a useful league campaign, claiming a memorable away win against Mayo and producing some stellar performances against the best teams in the country. The hope is that their return to the top-flight will be extended for a second season.

McHugh said: “It isn’t entirely under our control whether we stay up or not so our focus will be producing another good performance (against Kildare).

“I think we’ve held our own and played well overall in the league. It’s definitely a big step up and there’s a considerable difference from Division Two, so there’s been an element of finding our feet and getting ourselves used to playing at the higher Division.”

The talented midfielder also hailed the impact of their substitutes against Dublin with Chloe McCaffrey for instance sprung from the bench at half-time and scoring two second-half goals.

“That’s what it’s all about, the depth of the panel and competition for places. The girls who came off the bench did brilliantly and I thought they brought a whole new energy when we were maybe starting to tire a bit.”