FanSided World Football
·1 December 2024
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Yahoo sportsFanSided World Football
·1 December 2024
This weekend marked the second round of the FA Cup proper, the final round before Premier League and Championship teams enter the competition. With it, there was plenty of action for a number of Tottenham Hotspur loanees.
It would be an injustice to begin anywhere other than Leyton Orient. They hosted National League side Oldham Athletic for their second round tie. For the game, Josh Keeley continued his run in the XI, whilst Jamie Donley’s long exile from the match day squad was ended with a place on the bench.
An early second half goal from the visitors looked like it was going to be enough to secure an unfancied place in the third round, but deep into stoppage time, Orient were awarded a free-kick. With nothing to lose, Keeley went up for the set piece himself.
The free-kick was beautifully curled in from the left hand side, and of all players, Keeley managed to direct a superb, glancing header towards goal, finding the bottom corner to send Brisbane Road into ruptures. Genuinely a header that Sergio Ramos would have been proud of in his prime.
The game would go into extra-time, where Dan Agyei went from hero to zero. The striker missed a penalty in first half of extra time stoppages, but then scored the winner in stoppage time of the second half. Still, the overall hero on the day was Keeley, no questions about that.
The on loan Spurs goalkeeper is in pretty good company when it comes to goalscoring keepers. He joins the likes of Alisson and Peter Schmeichel as number one’s who have found the back of the net. Not to forget the iconic Rogerio Ceni. Keeley can say he has scored more goals than the unanimous greatest sweeper of all time, Manuel Neuer.
Furthermore, Donley came off the bench, and ended up playing 48 minutes. Orient are in the hat for the third round draw, which will take place on Monday, on the BBC – at 19:00 GMT.
Yet, the 21-year old was not the only Spurs loanee to score his first professional goal on Saturday. George Abbott, currently on loan at Notts County, scored a superbly taken goal at Peterborough United, though it was not enough to prevent an exit, after a 4-3 defeat. The teenager got another 90 minutes of game time here.
Finally, once again, Matthew Craig was an unused sub for Barnsley, despite their tie at home to Bristol Rovers going to extra time, meaning six subs were allowed. They fell to a defeat on penalties after a 0-0 draw.