HYPE and hysteria run hand in hand with high-profile Championship matches in the summer but it's probably no exaggeration to say that we could be closing the book on the Tyrone golden era this Saturday evening.

Failure to see-off Down at Pairc Esler in the first round replay will underline the impression that Micky Harte's charges are now a pale shadow of their former selves.

After chiselling out a barely warranted 2-8 each draw last weekend at a searing hot Healy Park, the Ulster champions again put their heads on the chopping block down in the Marshes.

Down were enthusiastic and showed bags of endeavour and energy to crawl back an early seven point deficit last Sunday, but they are still light years behind the top drawer Sam Maguire contenders such as Kerry, Derry and Dublin.

Therefore should Ross Carr's troops account for Tyrone, even with home advantage, it could signal the end of a halcyon period in the Red Hand history, unless they were to navigate a most unlikely route back to the All-Ireland quarter-final stages via the qualifiers.

Of course such doom mongering might look grossly premature should the visitors rediscover some of their old fire and intensity to take the spoils and progress into the semi-finals.

Certainly the portents are good for Tyrone. The last time they drew with Down in the provincial series was back in the 2003 Ulster Final, when the Red Hands proceeded to blow the Mourne men out of the water in the replay 0-23 to 1-5. However that was in the days of Canavan, O'Neill, Cavlan, Lawn etc.

The class of 2008 now have to stand up and be counted and show they have the pedigree, mettle and character to venture into the Marshes and claim the scalp of the hosts.

Tyrone still have plenty of experience in their midst and one of those seasoned campaigners Ryan McMenamin could only commend the fighting spirit displayed by Down in digging themselves out of a hole at the weekend.

" In all fairness Down came back well at us. They will feel they delivered a bit on their potential and we knew they were capable of that sort of performance though we probably took the foot off the pedal a bit as well.

" It was looking worrying enough when they went a point up late on so we were happy enough with a draw at the end up. We still have plenty to work on for the replay but at least we are still in the Championship."

Tyrone could easily have struck for a raft of goals inside the first half hour. Colm McCullagh and Sean Cavanagh both registered green flags, but Martin Penrose, Kevin Hughes and Colm Cavanagh also had gilt-edged one on one situations, which weren't converted. McMenamin acknowledged that it had looked relatively plain sailing at one stage.

" They stepped up their game and we just stopped playing. The goal they got just before half time gave them a real boost and was a bit of a killer for us because we should have been further ahead.

" In fairness that is no excuse for how poor we were in the second half. We made an awful lot of mistakes, which we can't afford to repeat up in Newry."

Tyrone entered last weekend's original encounter as raging hot favourites but after a spluttering performance the bookies are certain to view the rematch as a more even contest. 'Ricey' believes that there will now be a greater burden of pressure placed on the shoulders of the Down players on home soil, which could still work in Tyrone's favour.

" There won't be as many tipping us next weekend, indeed there will be a lot making Down favourites now. It will be interesting to see how

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they cope with that because maybe there wasn't great expectation levels when they came into Omagh. It will be a different story the next day."

Meanwhile Sean Cavanagh has admitted that Tyrone's missed goal chances in the first half could have seen them dumped out of the Ulster Championship on Sunday.

Cavanagh together with Colm McCullagh both hit the net inside the first 20 minutes however Tyrone spurned a number of glorious chances later in the half to increase their lead. The younger of the Cavanagh brothers, Colm, had the goal at his mercy in the 22nd minute, but fisted over for a point; Martin Penrose then showed a devastating turn of foot to race onto a McCullagh pass, but fumbled the ball and had his shot saved; and substitute Kevin Hughes also rifled a shot off the crossbar.

Sean Cavanagh thinks that Tyrone must be more clinical in the replay.

" Definitely the misses could have been costly and we are just happy to still be in the Ulster Championship. When we went six or seven points up in the first half we maybe got a little bit complacent and with (Martin) Penrose flying up front, we thought we could kill the game off.

" With the likes of Gordon, Coulter and McComiskey coming off the bench, Down are always going to be dangerous and they showed that in the second half. I think Down are up there with the best in Ulster, people just don't realise it."

Worryingly for Tyrone three men left the fray prematurely last weekend with injuries. Colm Cavanagh (knee) and Davy Harte (nose) hopefully will be given the green light for Saturday but there has to be greater doubt over the availability of Enda McGinley who sustained concussion following a sickening first half collision with Liam Doyle.

On a more upbeat note though Raymond Mulgrew might be back in the reckoning to take a berth in the forward unit having overcome a shoulder injury.