HEREFORD-based students Lee Brunton and Dan English will be sharing a room at London 2012 - but they won’t be talking about football.

The Royal National College pair support rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland respectively.

They will be playing for Tony Larkin’s GB Blind Football Team at the Paralympics.

Lee and Dan first met at a youth club for visually impaired children in Newcastle 10 years ago and they now play domestically for Hereford’s RNC Bulls.

“We don’t talk about football because it usually ends up in an argument,” said Lee, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of five.

“We are the only two north-east lads in the GB team and we support rival clubs. We try not to talk about football too much.

“We get on with each other well and I have stayed at his house in the past. Dan and I have been the only students at the college for the past six weeks.”

The duo were joined by coaches Larkin and Jon Pugh and other guests at a lunch-time ‘send-off’ party at the RNC last week.

The GB Blind football team open their Paralympic campaign against rivals Spain next Friday.

Spain have been training at the college and 18-year-old Lee, who grew up in North Shields, believes his side can beat them.

“The opening game is going to be massive for us,” said Lee, who lost the majority of his sight when he was 12 years old.

“We have had a few of our coaches watching the Spain team train and we have got a good chance against them.”

Lee had the Three Lions tattooed on his left arm after representing his country at last year’s European Blind Football Championships.

And he is hoping to have a Paralympic symbol tattooed on his right arm to mark the Games.

“I also hoping to get my first international goal at the Paralympics,”

said Lee, who has met former England star David Beckham.

“I hurt my ankle playing around three months ago and I have been fighting to get fit. It’s better now. It wasn’t very nice thinking that you might miss out on the biggest event of your life.”

“Blind football in North Shields is not that big and it will be great to show people there are different kinds of football.”