Joe McMahon and Stephen O’Neill, both of whom were forced off the field with injuries when Tyrone overcame Derry in the Ulster senior football semi-final, may now be fit for the provincial decider against Antrim on July 19.

McMahon was stretchered off with bruised ribs while O’Neill, singularly unfortunate with injuries of late, is understood to have sustained a dislocated finger.

The pair should, however, be in the squad for the showdown with Liam Bradley’s rampaging Saffrons, who have turned the formbook upside down by reaching their county’s first Ulster final in 39 years.

Bradley has spent the past forty-eight hours assessing minor knocks and bruises picked up by some of his players in the week-end semi-final win over Cavan, but expects to choose from a full hand when he sits down to rubber-stamp his line-up for the final.

Tyrone are still likely to be without Damian McCaul and Adrian Cassidy, although manager Mickey Harte is ‘ruling nothing out nor ruling nothing in at the moment,’ as he puts it.

Tyrone have won three of the last ten Ulster titles on offer with the other seven having been captured by reigning champions Armagh.

And while Antrim will benefit from the support of all neutral followers in the provincial showdown, Tyrone — the current All Ireland champions — will still be firm favourites to make their way directly into the All Ireland quarter-finals.

Irrespective of the result of the final, Antrim can now anticipate at least two more championship matches — and that in itself is a massive bonus for the county — but while county chairman John McSparran is delighted that the team will now endure the novel experience of playing Ulster Championship football in July, he believes that the bar is being raised all the time.

“We want to prove ourselves on an even bigger stage, that’s the real challenge. Sure, it’s great to be where we are at just now, but this team is capable of more,” he said.

“The boys are getting more and more support.”