Will Mayo captain Paddy Durcan return for Derry challenge?

As the National Football League enters the closing stages Mayo face off with table-toppers Derry in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar on Sunday and the celebration of our national holiday is an ideal backdrop for what may turn out to be an epic encounter between the reigning league champions and one of the pretenders to the throne.

Kevin McStay's men will be tested to the limit by the Ulster men and will face challenges all over the pitch, including the engine-room of the team, the midfield area.

As former Mayo star Billy Joe Padden writes in his column: “I want to see more physicality in midfield on the 50/50 balls.” Derry come to town with Conor Glass, one of the best midfielders that the game has currently to offer and his presence will test Mayo in the middle third.

Mayo's league campaign has been a mixture of ups and downs so far. An away victory against Galway and a home win over Dublin was a dream start.

Then the last-minute loss to the magnificent David Clifford in Kerry and especially the disappointing defeat in Tyrone put everything more into perspective. The impressive win against Roscommon was an important turnaround.

But injuries of key players remain a major concern for Kevin McStay. Team captain Paddy Durcan has been sidelined since the Kerry match. Diarmuid O'Connor and Eoghan McLaughlin are also out with similar muscular injuries and this is a worry as the league moves towards a conclusion and championship comes into view.

The manager himself said after the Roscommon match: “I'm hopeful, Paddy Durcan will be back soon.” It would be a boost for the team if the captain gets back on board against Derry. The team will be announced Friday evening.

A win would see Mayo go top of the table while a loss wouldn't be catastrophic, but in a worst case scenario, could result in a relegation battle in the last game of the campaign against Monaghan in Clones. Throw-in on Sunday is at 3.45pm.