O'Donnell, 32, brings a wealth of experience with him to the UTS Stadium and will be looking to play a key role this season as the club aims for promotion from the Northern Premier League East Division. He is a versatile player who can operate in the midfield and out wide.

Originally from North London, O'Donnell began his career at Luton Town in 2009 where he would make 51 appearances for The Hatters in all competitions between 2009-2013, scoring three goals.

In January 2014, O'Donnell signed for National League side Gateshead on a loan deal until the end of the 2013-14 season. He had a successful spell on Tyneside and became a fan favourite scoring the goal in the Conference Play-Off Semi-Final against Grimsby Town to send Gateshead to Wembley.

After the completion of the loan spell, O'Donnell made a permanent move to Gateshead in the summer of 2014. 

In 2015, he was diagnosed with Sesamoiditis, a rare condition causing inflammation in the bones under the big toe which almost caused an early retirement. With the aid of a GoFundMe page set-up by a Gateshead supporter, O'Donnell was able to undergo successful surgery and return to competitive action two years later where he once again became a regular for The Heed.

O'Donnell went on to play over 100 times for Gateshead and finished the 2019-20 as the club's top scorer and the Fan's Player of the Season. 

A loan move to Blyth Spartans followed in December 2020 before signing permanently at Croft Park ahead of the 2021-22 season - A season where he netted 15 goals in all competitions and helped the side win the Northumberland Senior Cup at St James' Park. 

O'Donnell remained at Blyth Spartans until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season and departed the club over the summer. A shoulder injury hindered his final season at Croft Park, but he is now approaching full fitness and will be aiming to make his Dunston debut in the near future.

"JJ has been training with us for around a month. He's been recovering from a shoulder injury and we have been supporting him to return to competitive football," Dunston Manager Jon McDonald said.

"He has been impressive with his quality, commitment, and character. Not only is he a player with experience of playing higher up the pyramid with Gateshead and Luton, but he's also an infectious character with high standards. When a player like this showed an interest in joining our club, it was something that we knew we wanted to get agreed. 

"JJ has already integrated very well with the group and he will be a good example to some of the younger players in our squad in a similar way to Phil Turnbull and Craig Baxter. This aspect is also priceless in my view." McDonald added.

The first interview with JJ O'Donnell can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5EzUkN8iGs