Jamie Donley has been named Leyton Orient’s Player of the Year after guiding the League One side to the playoffs in his first season of senior football, while fellow Tottenham loanee, Josh Keeley, also picked up a prestigious honour.
Academy youngsters often find their first taste of EFL football very challenging and often struggle to hit the ground running in their first seasons out on loan, which is something we have observed recently with the likes of Dane Scarlett.
However, Donley has looked a cut above in League One at Brisbane Road this season, proving to be Leyton Orient’s main creative outlet in the number ten role, with eight goals and ten assists to his name in 39 league games this season.
The 20-year-old has also surprised many people with the way he has coped with the physicality of lower-league football, proving that he is far from your stereotypical number ten who shies away from challenges.
Tottenham duo Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley handed huge honours
The Spurs academy midfielder has particularly come in clutch for his side in the final run-in as the O’s squeezed into sixth place and kept their promotion hopes alive.
Unsurprisingly, Donely has been named the club’s player of the season, which is an achievement that the youngster can be proud of in his first season in men’s football.
Amidst all of Donley’s moments of magic, it is easy to forget that another Tottenham Hotspur youngster has also been the bedrock of this O’s side, having a steady season in goal.
Goalkeeper Josh Keeley has shown incredible calmness and maturity between the sticks for Richie Wellens’s men and he has now been rewarded with the Supporters’ Merit Award.
Donley and Keeley have unfinished business
Both Donley and Keeley might be dreaming of battling for a place in the Tottenham first-team next season and will be keen to make an impression during pre-season, having seemingly come of age over the last 12 months.
However, they have some unfinished business before that as Orient look to make history by securing promotion to the Championship.
The experience of playing in those high-pressure playoff semifinals against Stockport and a potential playoff final at Wembley will be invaluable for the development of the Tottenham duo.