Victory over Dubs can spur Tyrone on - Mulligan

Beating Dublin in a 2005 All-Ireland quarter-final replay was the catalyst for Tyrone's march to Sam Maguire, and Owen Mulligan - one of the heroes of that team - believes victory for the current crop of Red Hands over the Dubs on Saturday can do likewise.

In the drawn game 20 years ago, Mulligan scored one of the greatest goals seen on a football field when selling a pair of dummies before thumping past Stephen Cluxton to bring Tyrone level.

Mickey Harte's men would win the replay with Mulligan again finding the net, before taking down Armagh in the semi-final and defeating Kerry in the decider to win a second All-Ireland title in three years.

The Cookstown man was part of the Tyrone golden generation which claimed a third triumph in 2008, but his goal against the Dubs is one of of those moments that is replayed and revered to this day.

"My sister Michelle text into the family WhatsApp group 'happy anniversary' and I thought she was on about my mother and father," Mulligan said, speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Sportsound.

"You can be remembered for far worse in the GAA. I was privileged to be part of a great Tyrone team with the glory years but the significance of that goal has followed me around.

"It's nice to go to these matches and have people coming up, no matter what county they are, shaking your hand and saying 'you scored the best goal in Croke Park ever', it does make you proud."

Every team needs a spark and getting past a fancied Dublin team over two games proved to be the shot in the arm that Tyrone team needed, having lost an Ulster final replay to arch-rivals Armagh previously.

Dublin was another team they had many battles against, but the big occasion was what they relished.

"We'd won the All-Ireland in '03 and in '04 there was a bit of a hangover that carried into 2005. To get the draw and then win the replay was a massive kick-on for us to go and win the All-Ireland," recalled 2005 All-Star Mulligan.

"As a young lad, you wanted to play in those games and I couldn't understand why teams were getting to Croke Park and choking. Dublin at 'Headquarters' would get any young lad's juices flowing and it did for us."

The counties meet again on Saturday in a quarter-final and Mulligan, while expecting a tough battle, feels his county may have enough to get over the line.

It won't be easy and there are so many variables, but Mulligan gives Tyrone the edge at midfield and if they can keep a lid on Con O'Callaghan in the Dublin attack, he believes the Red Hands have the firepower to prevail.

"I think it is finely balanced," he acknowledged.

"This is a massive game to kick-on your season and no better place than Headquarters against Dublin who are there for the taking. If the Tyrone forwards can click, we have so much going for us."

Listen to the full interview with Owen Mulligan on Sportsound, which begins at 14:00 BST on Saturday 28 June.