A proud moment for Nottingham Forest gem Jamie McDonnell quickly turned into a nightmare yesterday as Northern Ireland Under-19s took on Romania. The Green and Whites were looking to kickstart their European U19 Championship qualifiers after a recent defeat to Norway.
McDonnell has already penned a professional deal with Forest. He has a contract until 2024 at the City Ground and is currently an integral player in the Under-21s, playing regularly in their Premier League 2 campaign.
The 19-year-old arrived at Forest from Glentoran in July 2020. He originally starred for the club’s under-19s but is now performing well regularly for the under-21s during their promising season.
Despite the upheaval in the dugout for the young Reds, with Dave Rogers joining Finn Harps, they’re flying. Forest can still win the title, although the likelihood is they will have to settle for the play-offs.
McDonnell is a versatile performer. He can operate as a centre-back but this season he’s showcased his quality in the middle of the park too and that’s where he played for Northern Ireland under-19s yesterday.
Northern Ireland lost the game 3-1. Two goals from Andrei Borza and a strike by Adrian Mazilu ensured victory; with Callum Marshall scoring a goal that proved to be a consolation from the penalty spot.
Proud moment for McDonnell turns into a nightmare
The teenager has been tossed the captain’s armband for the last two games for his country. He once again led his team out for this big game and he’d have been delighted to do that.
Yesterday, however, disaster struck after just 34 minutes. McDonnell managed to pick up two yellow cards in just three minutes and was dismissed in the first half.
The versatile player isn’t really renowned for being an aggressive type. He’s collected three cautions during 14 outings for the under-21s this season and has been cautioned just once in the last five months.
McDonnell will hope to learn from this experience. He will now return to Forest and hope to play a part in helping the team win promotion this season.