Departed Cavan boss Terry Hyland says his former team can defy the odds and remain in Division One next year.

It was revealed on Tuesday that the currently manager-less Breffni men will start their league campaign at home to champions Dublin next February and must also welcome Donegal and Kerry to Kingspan Breffni Park, with trips to Tyrone and Mayo also included in their schedule.

Lacken man Hyland believes the need to win home games is a myth and pointed out Roscommon's run in the league earlier this year as evidence of that.

"They are equal to 60 per cent of the teams in Division One, so that gives you a chance to stay in it," he told The Irish News.

"I think six points would keep you in it, provided you don't take a hammering from anybody because we've seen teams getting relegated on scoring averages. You have to look at who you can compete against and you have to make sure you get a result out of those games.

"Everybody says you should target your home games. I don't believe in that. It doesn't matter if you're playing in Kerry, Dublin or in Kingspan Breffni Park. You saw Roscommon going gung-ho in Division One and they maybe over-stepped it too early for themselves and maybe ran out of gas in the championship. It's all about balance.

"The Dublins, the Kerrys, the Mayos and Donegal up to this year, they are competing against the better teams all the time. They don't necessarily feel as if they have to compete in League finals all the time, but they make sure they are playing all these better teams on a regular basis."

Tweet

Most Read Stories