Jamie Donley described “a magical moment that will be with me for the rest of my life” after writing his name into FA Cup folklore for Leyton Orient at the weekend.
Our on-loan forward made national headlines with a sensational strike from the half-way line to put League One Orient in front against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at Brisbane Road – a lead they held for some 40 minutes before ultimately falling to a 2-1 defeat in Saturday’s fourth-round tie.
Result aside, it was Jamie’s 45-yard effort that had everyone talking – even if it technically went down as an own goal by City keeper Stefan Ortega as his attempts to keep the ball out after it bounced down off the crossbar only served to help it over the line.
A product of our Academy, Jamie revealed his elation at how it all transpired – and admitted he didn’t know how to celebrate after seeing the ball hit the back of the net.
“I was delighted in the moment, especially because of how big a day it was for the club, with the big support we had and the fact it was a massive draw against a top side,” said the 20-year-old, who has previously scored from half-way for our Under-18s against Norwich City and our Under-21s against Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in addition to netting an innovative long-range finish from the side of the pitch against Chelsea’s Under-21s en route to the Premier League 2 title last term.
“I’m very proud of it, but it would have been a lot better if it had been the winning goal. We knew City are a good side with great quality and that showed in the end, but the effort the boys put in was immense.
“I didn’t know where to run and celebrate to be honest – I’d scored from the middle of the pitch and you can’t do a knee slide in the middle of the pitch, so I ended up running towards the family section of the stands where my dad, mum, my two sisters and my mates were sat. I didn’t actually see them in the moment but I know they came sprinting down the stairs towards me, just jumping and celebrating. I’ve seen some pictures of them since and there were some crazy faces there! It’s just a magical moment that will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Remarkably, it’s not the first time one of our loanees has made FA Cup history for Orient this season – goalkeeper Josh Keeley, who also played a starring role against City, ventured forward and sensationally headed in a stoppage-time equaliser to prevent his side from being dumped out of the competition at home to Oldham in November.
“Having him there on Saturday was great as well,” said Jamie. “He’s been telling me he’s scored more goals than me in the FA Cup for a while now – I suppose he still has if it’s an own goal – but we’re good mates and he had a good performance again. He should have been Man of the Match really and not me with the saves that he made and how he was coming for crosses. It kept us in the game, although the whole team defended well as a unit. We worked on our shape and that helped a lot.”
He may be flourishing at the moment, but it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Jamie at Orient this term. It proved tough to make an impact in the early months of the campaign and he found himself on the bench and even out of the squad completely on some occasions. But he persisted, worked hard, kept believing and has seized his chances superbly, helping to lift Orient up the League One table to within three points of the play-offs with a game in hand.
He told us that the support he received from the coaching staff at both of his clubs, plus his family, was key to his change of fortunes.
“It was definitely a difficult start but I had good people around me – people like Stuart Lewis (our Under-18s Coach) and the staff at Orient, plus obviously my family – who were able to help me to stick with it,” he said. “I always had the self-belief but I spoke with the gaffer here, he told me what he wanted and I think we’ve all been really happy with the last couple of months.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Stuart because obviously he’s coached me from a young age and has been there for me through the years. I spoke to Wayne Burnett (Under-21s Coach) and Brad Allen (Academy Coach) as well – these are all people who care very much about me and all the players in the Academy. They told me they’ve always had belief in my ability and I appreciate the help they’ve given me on this journey.”
So what’s next for Jamie? Orient are quickly back in action against Matthew Craig’s Mansfield Town this evening (Tuesday) and the attacker is keen to keep progressing.
“I’ve got five goals and five assists in the league at the moment, but I’m looking for more in the months ahead,” he said. “The team is playing with confidence and although the season didn’t start with us getting the results we wanted, we weren’t getting smashed and the games were close, so we knew we could turn things around and that’s shown on the pitch now. We’ve had a good few games and long may that continue!”