I'm double the age of most lads, but really enjoying it

FORMER BOYS IN GREEN STAR DOUGLAS HAS NEW LEASE OF LIFE AT 43 PLAYING GAELIC FOOTBALL

- Kieran CUNNINGHAM

Douglas is 43 now and he's still a footballer, but Gaelic football is where he's making his mark now.

Last weekend, his scored a goal from the penalty spot as London beat Limerick by three points in the Masters All-Ireland Challenge Cup final.

"I'm back at home now playing Junior B with Clones. Really enjoying it. I'm probably double the age of

'Masters football is getting better and the sooner the GAA help us out a bit more, the better'

most of the lads. It's nice to challenge yourself against the young boys coming through. It's tough but really enjoyable. It keeps me active, as much as anything else,” he said.

"For the London Masters, I play in midfield. With Clones, I'm usually in the half-forward line.

"My last game of Gaelic before I went to England was a minor game for Monaghan. Then, about 12 or 13 years after that, I was at home one summer on holiday and I played a game for the Clones Junior Bs.

"That was the first time I'd played since I was a teenager. Sometimes I'd mess about in training with other Irish lads but never played a proper game.

"It was the summer of 2011. I'd just finished up with Swindon Town. It was before I signed for Brentford. I had a few weeks at home, trained with Clones to keep my fitness ticking over and played one game.

"Once I went to Brentford, I had to hang up the gloves for a while."

Go back 20 years ago this week and Douglas scored a dramatic late equaliser for Leeds that gave them a 3-3 draw with Brighton.

But goalscoring wasn't a big part of his game. Still, there was something inevitable about London trusting him with penalties.