Donley handed four starts in Nations League group stage matches
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has claimed that Luton’s on-loan Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Jamie Donley is making his side a ‘better team’ having started his fourth consecutive Nations League qualifier when leading the line in their goalless draw against Georgia on Monday night.
The 21-year-old won his 13th cap earlier in the week, with the last four coming in the space of 11 days, featuring in the away match in Georgia, which Northern Ireland won 1-0, also named in the team that took on Ukraine and Hungary too. With the forward netting twice in his first nine matches, he has been moved into a striker’s role over the last fortnight, although wasn’t able to find the net.
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Against Hungary a week ago on Monday, Donley came close, unable to connect with Shea Charles' pass, before being denied by keeper Balazs Toth after meeting Ethan Galbraith's pass. Meanwhile a week later, when Georgia headed to Windsor Park, Donley didn’t have a chance, and having been on penalties, was taken off when they were awarded a spotkick, Isaac Price seeing his attempt saved, Luton team-mate Callum Marshall then coming on for the closing stages.
With O’Neill convincing Donley to switch his allegiance from England to the country of his birth in March last year, having represented the Young Lions at U15 to U19 level, the ex-Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City boss told the BBC that he values the role that the Antrim-born player is currently doing.
He said: “I'm not sure I'd say it's a thankless task, he's a number nine and that's what a single striker has to do. He makes us better as a team. His link-up play is better. He's an extremely clever player. He probably hasn't had his reward in terms of chances, but Jamie is a very, very good player and, again, he's a player that's only going to get better."
With Northern Ireland only scoring four goals, three of them coming in the 3-0 triumph in the Ukraine, Donley's inability to find the net, despite playing 294 minutes across the four games, was the only frustration for the youngster, who helped his team remain unbeaten without conceding and are now in pole position for promotion. Speaking to the Belfast News Letter, he added: “I've enjoyed it, playing all four games. I'm obviously a little bit disappointed not to score.
"I think that's my main role as a striker, but I think Michael likes me to link the ball up and help with the build-up plays. Hopefully, I can add some goals to my game, I’d like that a lot. We're a bit disappointed, but I think that shows how far we've come as a group. I mean, if any of those chances go in, we've had a lot of chances, so I think we're a bit disappointed, but it's been a really good window.
"I just think because we've had chances and they (Georgia) had very little, we're obviously a bit disappointed, but it's been positive. We'll go back to our clubs now and try and I’ll try to do well at Luton, and then come back and obviously our aim is to win the group. We're back here (Windsor Park), first game, so hopefully we can get the win.”