Result against the Rossies won't define London's season

London’s chastening 27-point defeat to Galway in last year’s corresponding fixture ensures expectations are well and truly in check for the visit of Roscommon to McGovern Park, Ruislip, on Saturday.

Twelve months ago, the Tribesmen steamed-rolled the Exiles as they helped themselves to five goals.

The visit of another “Division One" side will have patrons concerned that Saturday could see a repeat, if Davy Burke’s charges arrive with the same business-like mindset as Galway.

But Michael Maher’s side responded to that resounding defeat to Galway by beating Offaly five weeks later in the Tailteann Cup to register the county’s first championship victory since their run to the Connacht final in 2013.

This is not a group short of character, therefore.

With that monkey off their back — and a settled panel from 2024 — the aim this year was to kick on in Division Four.

The 2025 National League, though, would prove to be a frustrating one, ultimately delivering less than it at one stage promised.

A 1-20 to 0-21 win over Wicklow in Round Two — thanks to late points from Matt Moynihan and Shay Rafter — got the Exiles’ bandwagon up and running, after defeat to Wexford on the opening weekend.

Although Limerick then chose Ruislip to end their 17-game winless run in the league, the Exiles bounced back to stun Tipperary (2-13 to 0-17) at Semple Stadium — Tir Chonaill Gaels’ all-action midfielder Liam Gallagher winning it with a dramatic last-gasp two-pointer.

That left London’s footballers with the genuine opportunity of recording the county’s highest-ever number of wins in a league campaign — four.

Maher’s side had set the existing record (three) on the Exiles’ return to the intercounty stage in 2022 following the lifting of Covid restrictions.

They looked on course to match the record when they eased into a 0-8 to 0-1 lead against Longford after 20 minutes at Ruislip. But the home side lost their way thereafter to trail by 0-16 to 0-10 with time ticking away.

They might still have won it, though, thanks to Kristian Healy’s goal and two points from Dan Clarke (Naomh Colmcille, Donegal), but their late rally came just too late, and Longford held out to win by 0-16 to 1-12.

A five-point defeat away to winless Waterford ended London’s hopes of making a little bit of history, and that was compounded by another one-point loss, this time at the hands of Carlow.

London never trailed the Barrowsiders between the 11th and 65th minutes, when Conor Doyle’s goal then saw the visitors take a 1-17 to 1-16 lead.

Carlow took the win by 1-18 to 1-17, despite eight points from the industrious Liam Gallagher, who certainly didn’t deserve to end up on the losing side.

There was once a time when two National League wins would be hailed as a success in London GAA circles, but no more. Indeed, it’s a measure of just how far this London team has come that the 2025 league will undoubtedly go down as a missed opportunity.

It could be argued that the decline in the team’s fortunes coincided with the loss of North London Shamrocks duo Ciaran Diver (Moville, Donegal) and Paddy Dolan (St. Mary’s Convoy, Donega) to injury.

Former Donegal senior footballer Diver was London’s Player of the Year in 2024 — and instrumental to the win over Offaly.

With Roscommon native from Kilbride Henry Walsh already ruled out with an ACL injury, London’s forwards cupboard has been left looking bare.

Carlow did see Ruairi Rafferty — Player of the Match for Shamrocks in last year’s senior county final — make his first start of 2025 and he reminded all inside Ruislip of his threat with a smartly taken goal. Rafferty’s (Drumsurn, Derry) return was as timely as it was welcome.

But Carlow also saw Fulham Irish’s Matthew Walsh (Dungannon, Tyrone) hobble off just to add to Maher’s attacking headaches ahead of next Saturday’s showdown against the Rossies.

London’s captain is Moycullen’s Eoin Walsh — an All-Ireland U-21 winner with Galway in 2013. Eoin Walsh, Liam Gallagher and Matt Moynihan (Spa, Kerry) are the only survivors from Maher’s first game in charge, against Sligo in the opening round of the 2020 league. Maher had been part of Ciaran Deely’s London management team in 2019 before taking over the reins.

Liam Gallagher — arguably London’s standout player in the league — Tighe Barry (Parnells), Josh Obahor (Parnells), Shay Rafter (Tara), Conor Redican (Tara) and Aidan McLoughlin (Round Towers) ensure a home-grown presence in the Exiles’ team.

It was Rafter who kicked London to victory over Mayo in the FBD League in January 2024, on his senior debut. He also kicked four frees in the semi-final against Roscommon.

Of the Exiles’ starting line-up against Roscommon that day in Bekan, only three players (Oran Kerr, Stephen Dornan and DJ O’Flaherty) are no longer involved. Ciarán McKeon (St. Michael’s, Sligo) got the London goal that day.

Goalkeeper Andrew Walsh (Clarinbridge) also played against Roscommon, and now looks set to make his Connacht debut, having been on the bench for last year’s game against his native Galway.

Of the new faces on Maher’s panel, former Donegal minor Seán Taylor was named on the AIB GAA Football Club Championship Team of the Year for his performances for Sligo’s Coolera-Strandhill. Round Towers’ Kristian Healy (St Enda’s, Antrim) has been another huge addition.

But otherwise, Maher has been blessed with a huge amount of continuity from last year — an often-rare commodity in London. It’s just that those injuries in the forwards which has the London boss scratching his head going into Saturday.

London will still have a puncher’s chance, but as Maher has been at pains to point out, there’s a bigger picture at play here and Saturday’s visit of the Rossies — the biggest match in the London GAA calendar — won’t define his team’s season.