Tyrone worry over Mulligan injury

Owen Mulligan is struggling with a hamstring injury

Tyrone attacker Owen Mulligan is a fitness doubt for the 8 June Ulster Championship match against Down.

Mulligan is struggling to overcome the hamstring injury he picked up during the Allianz National League win over Laois on 15 March.

He sat out Cookstown?s midweek league club game against Galbally this week.

The twice All-Ireland winner was approaching top form when he suffered the injury and missed the remaining three games of the NFL campaign.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has confirmed that he will not use friendly games to prepare for the Healy Park clash with the Mourne men, despite the fact that his team will have gone eight weeks without a competitive fixture come the championship tie.

Instead, he wants his players to maintain match sharpness by playing league football for their clubs.

However, Mulligan's current situation remains a worry, and his absence from the front line would be a serious blow to the Red Hands.

Otherwise, Harte's squad is slowly returning to full fitness. Brian Dooher and Joe McMahon, who played no part in the NFL, have returned from lengthy injury lay-offs to play with their clubs.

And Brian McGuigan, having played his first full game in two and a half years against Mayo in the final league game of the campaign, continues to make progress.