It started back on May 1st with defending champions, Armagh losing an Ulster preliminary round game to Monaghan by four points but 20 weeks later, Joe Kernan and his squad will be back in Croke Park attempting to retain the Bank of Ireland football title.

Next Sunday will be a hugely significant day for football as, for the first time ever, two Ulster teams clash in the All-Ireland final. Tyrone have remained unbeaten right through the championship and are now determined to continue the run and win the title for the very first time, having lost their two previous final appearances in 1986 and 1995.

Meanwhile, Armagh are attempting to establish their own piece of history by winning the title for a second time. They are also bidding to become the first team to retain the Sam Maguire Cup since Cork in 1989-90. The last Ulster team to win the two-in-a-row was Down in 1960-61. Prior to that the only Ulster county to have completed the two-in-a-row was Cavan in 1947-48.

This unique pairing comes in a special year for the Ulster Council who are celebrating their Centenary so there can scarcely be a better way of marking it than by having two of their own teams in the All-Ireland final.
Apart from the fact that it brings together two great Ulster rivals, this final has some other fascinating dimensions.

 It will be the first final between two teams from the same province.
 Tyrone are bidding to win the title for the first time in their proud history. They reached previous finals in 1986 and 1995 but lost to Kerry and Dublin respectively.
 Armagh are attempting to become the first team since Cork in 1989-90 to retain the All-Ireland title.
 Armagh are bidding to become the first Ulster team since Down in 1960-61 to retain the All-Ireland title.
 If Tyrone win, it will leave Monaghan, Fermanagh and Antrim as the only Ulster counties not to have won the All-Ireland senior crown.

Next Sunday's Croke Park programme is as follows

SF final: Armagh v Tyrone, 3.30
MF final: Dublin v Laois, 1.30

PATHS TO THE SENIOR FINAL

ARMAGH
Monaghan 0-13 Armagh 0-9
Armagh 2-21 Waterford 0-8
Armagh 0-15 Antrim 0-12
Armagh 0-15 Dublin 0-11
Armagh 4-10 Limerick 0-11
Armagh 0-15 Laois 0-13
Armagh 2-10 Donegal 1-9
Played 7, Won 6, Drew 0, Lost 1

SCORERS

Steven McDonnell 5-23; Oisin McConville 2-30; Diarmuid Marsden 0-10; Ronan Clarke 1-5; Paddy McKeever 0-7; John McEntee 0-6; Philip Loughran 0-5; Paul McGrane 0-3; Aidan O'Rourke 0-2; Tony McEntee 0-1; Barry O'Hagan 0-1; John Toal 0-1; Andrew McCann 0-1.

TYRONE

Tyrone 0-12 Derry 1-9 (draw)
Tyrone 0-17 Derry 1-5 (replay)
Tyrone 1-17 Antrim 1-9
Tyrone 1-17 Down 4-8 (draw)
Tyrone 0-23 Down 1-5 (replay)
Tyrone 1-21 Fermanagh 0-5
Tyrone 0-13 Kerry 0-6
Played 7, Won 5, Drew 2, Lost 0.

SCORERS

Peter Canavan 1-43; Eoin Mulligan 1-17; Sean Cavanagh 1-9; Ger Cavlan 0-7; Brian Dooher 0-7; Kevin Hughes 0-6; Brian McGuigan 0-6; Stephen O'Neill 0-6; Mark Harte 0-3; Conor Gormley 0-3; Enda McGinley 0-3; Declan McCrossan 0-2; Ciaran Gourley 0-2; Ryan McMenamin 0-2; Paul Horisk 0-1; Stephen Lawn 0-1; Philip Jordan 0-1; Frank McGuigan 0-1.


ARMAGH v TYRONE: PREVIOUS CHAMPIONSHIP CLASHES

Armagh and Tyrone have met 35 times in the championship. Armagh lead 19-11
with four draws and one game abandoned.

2002 Armagh 2-13 Tyrone 0-16 (replay)
2002 Armagh 1-12 Tyrone 1-12 (draw)
2001 Tyrone 1-14 Armagh 1-9
2000 Armagh 0-12 Tyrone 0-8
1997 Tyrone 1-12 Armagh 0-12
1994 Tyrone 3-10 Armagh 1-10
1993 Armagh 0-13 Tyrone 1-10 (draw)
1993 Armagh 2-8 Tyrone 0-12 (replay)
1990 Armagh 0-12 Tyrone 0-11
1989 Tyrone 1-11 Armagh 2-7
1988 Tyrone 0-15 Armagh 1-11
1987 Armagh 5-9 Tyrone 1-9
1984 Tyrone 0-15 Armagh 1-7
1980 Armagh 4-10 Tyrone 4-7
1972 Tyrone 0-13 Armagh 1-7
1971 Armagh 4-9 Tyrone 2-10
1958 Tyrone 1-9 Armagh 0-10
1957 Tyrone 2-9 Armagh 3-5
1952 Armagh 1-8 Tyrone 0-6
1951 Armagh 1-13 Tyrone 2-3
1947 Tyrone 1-6 Armagh 1-6 (draw)
1947 Tyrone 2-5 Armagh 1-4 (replay)
1945 Armagh 3-4 Tyrone 0-2
1942 Armagh 3-4 Tyrone 0-0
1941 Tyrone 3-13 Armagh 0-1
1932 Armagh 1-5 Tyrone 1-4
1930 Armagh 1-6 Armagh 2-3 (draw)
1930 Armagh 1-8 Tyrone 1-3 (replay)
1920 Armagh 2-1Tyrone 0-0
1917 Armagh 2-3 Tyrone 1-3
1903 Armagh 0-12 Tyrone 0-3 (appealed)
1903 Armagh 7-4 Tyrone 0-1
1902 Armagh 0-3 Tyrone 0-2 (abandoned)
1902 Armagh 1-6 Tyrone 0-3
1890 Armagh 2-8 Tyrone 1-2

ARMAGH v TYRONE: LAST CHAMPIONSHIP CLASH

Armagh and Tyrone last clashed in the championship on May 26th 2002 when they met in an Ulster quarter-final replay. Having drawn first time out (1-12 each), Armagh won the replay by 2-13 to 0-16.

Armagh: Benny Tierney; Enda McNulty, Justin McNulty, Francie Bellew; Aidan O'Rourke, Kieran McGeeney, Andrew McCann; John Toal, Paul McGrane; Paddy McKeever (0-5), John McEntee (1-1), Oisin McConville (0-2); Steven McDonnell (0-3), Ronan Clarke (0-1), Diarmaid Marsden (0-1).
Subs: Kieran Hughes for McCann; Barry Duffy (1-0) for Clarke; Philip Loughran for Marsden.

Tyrone: Peter Ward; Conor Gormley, Chris Lawn, Brian Robinson; Ryan McMenamin (0-1), Ciaran Gourley, Philip Jordan; Cormac McAnallen (0-2), Colin Holmes; Brian Dooher, Kevin Hughes (0-2), Ger Cavlan; Stephen O'Neill (0-7), Sean Cavanagh (0-2), Richard Thornton. Subs: Declan McCrossan (0-1); Pascal Canavan for Thornton; Brian McGuigan (0-1) for Cavlan.

ARMAGH IN ALL-IRELAND FINALS

1953 Kerry 0-13 Armagh 1-6
1977 Dublin 5-12 Armagh 3-6
2002 Armagh 1-12 Kerry 0-14

TYRONE IN ALL-IRELAND FINALS

1986 Kerry 2-15 Tyrone 1-10
1995 Dublin 1-10 Tyrone 0-12

All-Ireland Roll Of Honour

Can Tyrone become the 18th county to win the All-Ireland senior football title or will Armagh move ahead of Ulster rivals, Derry and Donegal, by winning the title for a second time.

The counties which have yet to win the All-Ireland title are as follows: Tyrone, Antrim, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, Clare, Waterford, Carlow, Laois, Longford, Westmeath, Wicklow, Kilkenny,

32 Kerry
(1903-04-09-13-14-24-26-29-30-31-32-37-39-40-41-46-53-55-59-62-69-70-75-78-79-80-81-84-85-86-97-2000).
22 Dublin
(1891-92-97-98-99-1901-02-06-07-08-21-22-23-42-58-63-74-76-77-83-95).
9 Galway (1925-34-38-56-64-65-66-98-2001)
7 Meath (1949-54-67-87-88-96-99)
6 Cork (1890-1911-45-73-89-90)
5 Down (1960-61-68-91-94)
5 Cavan (1933-35-47-48-52)
5 Wexford (1893-1915-16-17-18)
4 Kildare (1905-19-27-28)
4 - Tipperary (1889-95-1900-1920)
3 Louth (1910-12-57)
3 Mayo (1936-50-51)
3 Offaly (1971-72-82)
2 Limerick (1887-1896)
2 Roscommon (1943-44)
1 Armagh (2002)
1 Derry (1993)
1 Donegal (1992)

PETER CANANAN HEADS SCORING LISTS
Tyrone captain, Peter Canavan heads the scoring lists for the 2003 Bank of Ireland football championship and only Armagh’s Steven McDonnell has any chance of catching him. Even then, McDonnell would need to produce a remarkable scoring blitz in the final as he trails Canavan by eight points. McDonnell’s Armagh colleague, Oisin McConville trails Canavan by 10 points.

The leading scorers are as follows:
 Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 1-43 (46pts)
 Frankie Dolan (Roscommon) 1-38 (41 pts)
 Adrian Sweeney (Donegal) 0-41 (41 pts)
 Declan Browne (Tipperary) 2-34 (40 pts)
 Steven McDonnell (Armagh) 5-23 (38 pts)
 Oisin McConville (Armagh) 2-30 (36 pts)
 Colm Quinn (Offaly) 0-25 (25pts)
 Raymond Gallagher (Fermanagh) 1-21 (24pts)
 Brendan Devenney (Donegal) 1-21 (24pts
 Ciaran McManus (Offaly) 4-9 (21pts)

The best individual scoring feats in a single game are as follows:
 Steven McDonnell (Armagh) 3-4 v Limerick
 Frankie Dolan (Roscommon) 0-13 v Kildare
 Declan Browne (Tipperary) 1-9