By John Haughey
BBC Sport |
 Johnny McBride and his team-mates are underdogs for the game |
A decade ago, Tyrone-Derry Ulster Football Championship clashes had fans almost salivating in anticipation. The delirium of Tyrone fans after their county's epic 1995 provincial semi-final win over the then National League champions comes to mind.
In those days, clashes between the neighbours were slugfests between two well-matched line-ups.
In 2006, Tyrone may be All-Ireland champions but Derry's recently struggles makes the build-up to Sunday's clash at Healy Park almost low-key.
Derry captain Johnny McBride admits as much when he is asked about the game.
"There's not that much pressure on us because we haven't done much over the last couple of years," says the Loup clubman.
Derry fans don't seem to expect much of their team this year but McBride maintains that there is still an onus on the county's players to again make this fixture competitive.
"Tyrone have given us a couple of drubbings over the last couple of years so there's probably a bit of pressure to get it back into a derby situation where there's not a lot in it."
Four opening wins in this year's National League raised hopes of a Derry footballing revival but three closing defeats ended the county's prospects of making the knockout stages.
The positive spin coming from the Derry squad points out that they achieved their objective of maintaining their Division One status.
However, it was clearly an unsatisfactory end to the Spring and manager Paddy Crozier's well-publicised disagreement with the county board only increased doubts about Derry's capacity to be a factor in this year's championship.
Crozier, himself, is certainly not making any bold boasts about his team's prospects for Sunday's game.
"Going in against the All-Ierland champions is a big task but all we can do is out best," Crozier told BBC Sport.
The absence of injured players Patsy Bradley, Gerard O'Kane, Gavin Donaghy and Paul Murphy is not helping Crozier's hand although Bradley would have been the only guaranteed starter of the quartet.
The Derry boss will hope that the Bradley brothers Paddy and Eoin produce hot form in the Derry attack.
On their day, the two Glenullin brothers have the ability to wreak havoc in even the best of defences but Mickey Harte knows that better than anyone.
As regards the other end of the pitch, Kevin McCloy is one of the finest full-backs in the country but he will need to be at his best against the Tyrone attack, even if Stephen O'Neill joins Brian McGuigan on the sidelines.
Crozier says his side have "a chance if we can hit a good day".
"We're not going there to get beaten."
Hopefully, the game will prove livelier than the build-up.
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There's probably a bit of pressure to get it back into a derby situation where there's not a lot in it