Glentoran confirm continued talks with fans in aftermath of Jay Donnelly signing

Glentoran officials have confirmed plans to continue talks with supporters’ groups in the aftermath of the Jay Donnelly signing announcement.
Jay Donnelly (left), with Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.Jay Donnelly (left), with Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.
Jay Donnelly (left), with Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott. Pic by Pacemaker.

Donnelly, who served a three-month prison sentence in 2019 for distributing an indecent image of a child, was this week announced as the latest transfer by the ambitious Oval club.

Head coach Mick McDermott described the decision to bring in a player as ‘a judgement call’ and called for supporters to ‘trust and back’ the move.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Extensive consultation by McDermott and other Glens representatives with a number of organisations took place over weeks leading up to the unveiling, given the controversy around Donnelly.

And that process will continue, as planned, in response to the reaction of fans following the signing news.

“The club fully understands the breadth and depth of feeling some supporters have on this issue,” said a Glentoran spokesperson yesterday. “The manager did consult with a significant number of supporters and supporters’ clubs before making a final decision.

“The club will, as always, be happy to meet supporters’ organisations over this and other building plans for this year and moving forward.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Club employees will also take part in educational courses on online behaviour alongside a review of the social medial policy.

The decision to bring in the player from Belfast Celtic has led to widespread debate - and been met with substantial criticism across social media and other platforms.

A Glentoran statement on Wednesday highlighted the club stance that Donnelly ‘has both paid and atoned for his past mistakes and deserves the opportunity to rebuild his life and football career’.

It also included how ‘Glentoran Football Club believes that everyone deserves a chance to put mistakes behind them and Jay Donnelly is no different’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Donnelly, who will take part in counselling and guidance on the advice of McDermott, expressed on Wednesday that ‘I have had several years now to reflect on my actions, and I can guarantee everyone both in football and society that I have learned from my mistake and it is something I would never consider repeating’.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.