HOME advantage against opponents with a proven track record in the Ulster Championship provides the Tyrone hurlers with another chance to prove their worth in this second round clash at Healy Park.
Victory over Fermanagh last Sunday means that Kevin McNaughton and his players will be in confident mood for the tie. But the pressure is on them to produce the goods against a London side confidently expected by most to progress.
It is the first meeting between the teams since the late nineties when Tyrone recorded a memorable win over them in the National League. Now the task is for the present players to secure a return to those glory years.
A place in the Quarter Final of the provincial championship against Armagh also beckons for them. However, they are under no illusions about the extent of the task according to Strabane Shamrocks native, Paddy Devine.
"London have been playing in the senior championship for a good few years. They've got players from all over Ireland and the fact that they've run the likes of Antrim close in the past means that they going to be very tough," he said.
"We've got together a couple of times this week and the aim is to just go out and do our best against them. I suppose people aren't expecting much from us, so it means that we can just go out and give it a real rattle.
"We probably haven't been training as hard as we could have in the past few weeks, so we'll have to step things up a lot for Sunday. It's great to get another day out because this is the time of year when you want to be playing.
"One of our strengths at the moment is probably our fitness. The lads have been playing a lot of hurling at club level which is standing to them because we finished strongly against Fermanagh," he added.
A late goal in the opening round clash caused Tyrone some anxious moments. More of the same determined play will be required as they prepare for the what is expected to be a crucial test.
Players such as Shay McKiver, David Lavery, John Kerr, John Devlin and Cormac McHugh are once again expected to hold the key. Add in the workrate of team captain, Noel Hurson, and it's clear that their hopes of perhaps causing an upset are indeed justified.
London are drawing on players from a number of different counties, although as usual little is known about their potential. Recent years have seen them struggle to make a mark in Ulster, a few heavy defeats to the likes of Antrim providing unwelcome setbacks.
Evidence of the difficulties currently being faced by them is clear from the fact that they finished bottom of Division 2B. Defeats at the hands of Armagh and Derry give some indication of where Tyrone might stand in relation to the exiles.
"Obviously it's going to be a step up for us playing London because they're a division above us in the league," continued Paddy Devine.
"Armagh beat them in the league this year, so if they can record a result like that then there's no reason why we can't do the same. The win over Fermanagh has boosted our confidence after a few tough weeks.
"Another major motivating factor for us is the fact that it's in the Ulster Senior Championship. We're getting the chance to play the better teams and the longer we can stay in the competition, then the better it's going to be for the Nickey Rackard Cup.
"Getting games like this is a lot better than playing friendlies. It maintains the interest, stops players from drifting away and gives us something to aim for.
"If we could beat London on Sunday, then it would be great to get the chance to play Armagh in the Quarter Final. That's the big aim which will be driving us forward."
Last weekend, the former Shamrocks player, who is now lining out with Sean Treacy's in Belfast, notched two points. It's a tally which he will be hoping to equal or build upon as Tyrone bid to send out a clear message that they are a team capable of making a mark.
