Neasden Gaels of London go into tomorrow’s London Intermediate football championship against St Joseph’s with a strong Ulster flavour to their starting line-up.

Of their 24 man panel, there are nine players from Down, including All-Star nominee Connaire Harrison, one from Antrim, and three from Donegal.

Neasden Gaels, based in Kingsbury in north west London, are hoping to do the double at  Ruislip on Sunday. They won Division Two a couple of weeks ago, a game in which star man Connaire Harrison scored 2-6.

“He’s a hard man to mark!” agreed club secretary John McAteer. “He’s coming from giving Monaghan a hard time last year to intermediate football over here. He’s been brilliant for us. A super talent.

“The players all live in London, we’ve had more fly-ins than fly-outs,” he continued. “Most of them live and work in London. And we have a couple of indigenous Londoners playing too.”

Selector Michael Toner is from Pearse Og’s in Armagh too, while the double seeking exiles are managed by Longford man Frank Kane.

The Down players:

An Riocht: Aidan and Colin Flanagan

Ballyholland: John McAteer

Balllymartin: Ciaran O’Hare, Ross Cunningham, Ryan O’Hare

Glassdrumman: Connaire Harrison

Longstone: Conor and Stephen Doran

Antrim:

Naomh Treasa: Conor McGoldrick

Donegal:

Four Masters: Frank McMullin (capt), David Crawford

Glenswilly: Niall McDaid

Of those, Aidan Flanagan, Conor McGoldrick and secretary John McAteer were around for the All-Ireland quarter-final against Crossmaglen in 2011.