Donley Shines in Northern Ireland Victory, Eyes Crucial Playoff Role
BELFAST – Jamie Donley made his first international start since March and delivered a promising performance as Northern Ireland defeated Luxembourg 1-0 on Monday, fueling hopes he could be the solution too a long-standing “problem position” ahead of March’s crucial playoff. the win provides a boost as Northern Ireland prepares for what manager Michael O’Neill called the nation’s biggest game in at least five years.
Donley, currently on loan from Tottenham Hotspur at Stoke City, has struggled for consistent playing time this season, managing only 37 club minutes as the start of September. this lack of game time initially impacted his international prospects, even leading to a recent stint with the Northern Ireland Under-21s last month. However, O’Neill believes the 20-year-old possesses “Premier League quality” and has been ”unlucky” to earn only six senior caps.
“He just looks like that player that has been at a high level as a young player at a club like Tottenham all his days,” O’Neill said. “Obviously he’s still a Tottenham player at this minute in time. He’s just got himself in a situation where his loan has not gone as well as he’d hoped.”
Donley, who impressed while on loan at Leyton Orient last season and earned his senior international debut with the club, acknowledges the need for regular football to secure his place in O’Neill’s plans.
“I think I need to be playing at my club to have any chance of playing in March as Michael speaks a lot about that,” Donley stated. He hopes his performance against Luxembourg will catch the eye of his club manager. “I think [the Luxembourg showing] would have helped me if someone from Stoke was watching and seeing that I’ve got a bit of quality. I’ll go back and see what happens.”
Born in Northern Ireland but raised in England, Donley previously represented both nations at youth level before committing to the senior Northern Ireland squad. O’Neill expressed hope that Donley’s club situation will “resolve itself” in the coming months, while Donley believes success with Northern Ireland can positively influence his chances at Stoke. “It hasn’t gone the way that I’ve wanted it to but hopefully I can start playing and scoring and that puts me in good stead for the games in March.”
